THE IMPACT OF VOLTAGE SCALING ON ELECTRON HEATING AND DEVICE PERFORMANCE OF SUBMICROMETER MOSFETS

A study is presented on the effects of voltage scaling on hot-electron phenomena and intrinsic device performance in submicrometer MOSFET's carried out by means of a Monte Carlo device simulator featuring a suitable band model for high-energy electrons. An interesting finding is that at very-short channel lengths the high energy tail of the electron distribution function, the most important quantity in determining hot-carrier reliability, is controlled by the applied bias and not by local electric fields. As confirmed by recently reported experimental work [1], the results of this study indicate that the conventional, linear voltage scaling can be weakened using a more relaxed voltage reduction law that leads to improved performance without threatening device reliability.