Ge wire MOSFETs fabricated by three-dimensional Ge condensation technique

We propose a novel method to form Ge nano-wire structures by utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) Ge condensation technique. Since this method needs only top-down and Si compatible processes, Ge nano-wire MOSFETs fabricated by this technique are suitable for actual LSI applications. Based on this concept, we have fabricated SiGe on insulator wire pMOSFETs with Ge content up to 92% and diameter down to 35 nm. 3x enhancement of transconductance against a control Si device has been demonstrated in pMOSFETs with Ge content of 79%, though the performance enhancement in the highest Ge content device has not been obtained yet because of the non-optimized 3D Ge condensation processes. Further performance enhancement is expected after optimizing 3D Ge condensation processes especially for higher Ge content SiGe channels. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.