Journal of the Korean Physical Society, Vol. 45, December 2004, pp.

S928S932

Characteristics of Ballistic Tansport in Short-Channel MOSFETs

Nambin Kim, Sangsu Park, Yongmin Kim, Hyunjung Kim and Hyunsik Im
Department semiconductor Science, Dongguk University, Seoul 100-715

Hyungsang Kim
Department of physics, Dongguk University, Seoul 100-715
The Si MOSFET is the single most important unit of any digital or analog circuit today. As
it is scaled down to the nanometer region, charge carriers (electrons and holes) in the channel
are expected to flow with fewer scattering events, leading to ballistic transport. In this work, the
characteristics of the quasi-ballistic MOSFET are systematically investigated by taking into account
scattering phenomena of the carriers. For a practical viewpoint, a conventional MOSFET structure
is exploited. Numerical calculations of potential profile are carried out, in order to understand and
quantify the transport as functions of gate and drain voltages under various conditions.
PACS numbers: 85, 30, De
Keywords: MOSFET, Ballistic transport, Back-scattering phenomena

II. QUASI-BALLISTIC MOSFET MODEL

I. INTRODUCTION

In a long channel MOSFET whose transport is based

on a drift-diffusion model, charge carriers (electrons and
holes) experience many scattering events when they are
moving in the channel. It is well studied that these scattering events deteriorate transport characteristics resulting in a decrease of the drain current [1].
Recently, due to the remarkable development of semiconductor device fabrication technology, the MOSFET
channel length has become shorter and comparable to a
carrier scattering length (); as a result, the carriers can
encounter less scattering events [25]. On such a channel
length scale, an interesting phenomenon termed ballistic transport occurs, which implies that the carriers can
travel from source to drain like a shooting bullet.
From a practical viewpoint, it seems to be impossible to make an ideal ballistic MOSFET within a couple of decades. Thus, it is very informative to investigate a quasi-ballistic MOSFET whose characteristics are between classical drift-diffusion and ideal ballistic transport. In this study, in order to quantify the
quasi-ballistic transport, a one-dimensional (1-D) potential profile along the channel is calculated as a function
of gate and drain voltages, doping concentration in the
source region, channel length, and temperature. The basic structural parameters of a MOSFET used here are as
follows : Nd = 1025 m3 for source Na = 1.5 1023 m3
for substrate, and channel length (L) ranges between 40
nm and 80 nm.
E-mail:

hyunsik7@dongguk.edu

The drain current of the quasi-ballistic MOSFET can

be expressed by [6] :
ID = W Cef f T (

1r
) (VGS VT H ),
1+r

(1)

where r is a back-scattering coefficient given by [7] :

r=

`
,
` + 0

(2)

where ` , called kT -layer length, is defined as a characteristic length corresponding to a potential drop by kT/q
near the source, as indicated in Fig. 1, and 0 represents
the mean free path of the carriers.

Fig. 1. Potential profile to explain the carrier backscattering coefficient (r) and the kT -layer length (`) in the
quasi-ballistic MOSFET.

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Characteristics of Ballistic Tansport in Short-Channel MOSFETs Nambin Kim et al.

Fig. 2. Calculations of the potential profile along the channel with increasing drain voltage at a fixed gate voltage of 0.1
V (a) L = 80 nm (b) L = 40 nm. (T=300K)

At this point, the transmission coefficient can be approximated in terms of the back-scattering coefficient (r )
[8] :
t

1r
.
1+r

(3)

To quantitatively investigate the quasi-ballistic transport and drain current, it is necessary to calculate the
1-D potential profile along the channel. For simplicity,
the effect of the drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL)
on the drain current is not included here. For numerical
modeling, MatLab from Math-Works Co. is exploited.

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In the quasi-ballistic MOSFET, the back-scattering
phenomenon makes the drain current decrease, so that
it is essential to reduce the back-scattering events to enhance the characteristics of the ballistic transport. Backscattering occurring within a characteristic length called
the kT -layer near the source plays a key role in the quasiballistic transport, as illustrated in Figure 1.
1. Dependence of quasi-ballistic characteristics
on drain voltage

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Fig. 3. (a) Back-scattering coefficient (r). (b) Drain current vs. drain voltage. VGS = 0.1 V, T=300 K.  = 80 nm,
= 60 nm, N = 40 nm.

Figure 2 shows the calculated potential profiles for various drain voltages at a fixed gate voltage. As is clearly
seen in this figure, as the drain bias is increased, the magnitude of the potential barrier becomes smaller, due to
the DIBL (Drain-Induced Barrier Lowering) effect, and
the kT -layer also decreases simultaneously.
Figure 3 shows that with increasing drain voltage, the
back-scattering coefficient (r ) becomes smaller, due to
the reduction of the kT -layer length (`), and its value is
saturated at a lower drain voltage with decreasing channel length. So, these results support the idea that as the
channel length becomes shorter, both the back-scattering
coefficient and the drain current saturate at a lower drain
voltage.
2. Dependence of quasi-ballistic characteristics
on temperature
Temperature can also be used as one of the external
parameters to alter the properties of the quasi-ballistic
MOSFET. Since carrier transmission in the channel is
strongly dependent on carrier mobility, lowering the temperatures can enhance carrier mobility, leading to a
larger transmission coefficient.
Figure 4(a) shows the results for the potential distri-

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Journal of the Korean Physical Society, Vol. 45, December 2004

Fig. 5. Characteristics of the drain current for different

doping concentrations in the source region (Nd = 8 023
m3 and 5 1025 m3 ). VGS = 0.1 V.

Fig. 4. (a) Potential distribution at T=300 K (dotted line)

and 77 K (solid line). VGS =0.1 V, VDS = 0.1 V, L = 60
nm. (b) Drain current vs. drain voltage. L = 40, 60 nm.
T=77 K, VGS = 0.1 V. (Same conditions as Fig. 2(b), except
temperature)

bution calculated at 300 K and 77 K. As the temperature decreases, more inversion charges can move to the
channel, because of the lowered effective potential barrier
which carriers experience, leading to the enhancement of
the transmission coefficient. In addition, increased carrier mobility makes their mean free path longer, resulting
in the reduction of the back-scattering coefficient in the
channel. Figure 4(b) shows improved drain current at 77
K, compared with that at 300 K.
3. Dependence of quasi-ballistic characteristics
on doping concentration in the source
It is assumed in this study that carriers can be transmitted over the barrier through thermionic emission. So,
making a degenerate condition in the source region can
increase the carrier density injected into the channel.
Since a high doping concentration in the source increases the number of carriers having energy higher than
the channel barrier, the saturation current is expected to
increase at a higher source doping concentration.
Figure 5 displays the simulated drain current for different doping concentration of the source region. As
expected, with increasing doping concentrations in the
source, the saturation current is enhanced.
4. Dependence of quasi-ballistic characteristics

Fig. 6. Calculated potential profiles for various gate voltages at a fixed drain voltage of 0.1 V, VGS = 0 0.5 V (0.1
V step). (a) L = 40 nm, (b) L = 80 nm. (T=300 K)

on gate voltage
Figure 6 shows both the lowering of the potential barrier and the corresponding change of the kT -layer length
(`) at each given gate voltage.
Figure 7 shows the simulated results for the inversion
charge density in the channel and gate voltage dependent
drain current in the quasi-ballistic MOSFET.
As the gate voltage is increased, the inversion charge
injected into the channel becomes larger because of the
lowering of the potential barrier. Fig. 7(b) displays the

Characteristics of Ballistic Tansport in Short-Channel MOSFETs Nambin Kim et al.

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on oxide thickness
Carriers injected into the channel from the thermal
equilibrium source have a thermal velocity determined by
oxide thickness, which is one of the most important factors in determining the properties of the ballistic transport.
Figure 8 shows the drain current vs. gate voltage as a
function of oxide thickness. Under the degenerate condition, thermal velocity can be given by [9] :
q
(4)
r = (8~/3m ) Cef f (VGS VT H )/q,
where the effective capacitance (Cef f ) is
Cef f =

ox
.
tox

(5)

Therefore, by reducing the thickness of the oxide layer,

both inversion charge and thermal velocity of carriers at
the beginning of the channel can be increased.

IV. CONCLUSION

Fig. 7. (a) Inversion charge density (Qi ) vs. gate voltage

for L=80 nm, 40 nm, and (b) drain current vs. drain voltage
for various gate voltages for L=60 nm.

We have studied the characteristics of the quasiballistic transport and drain current in ultra small MOSFETs, taking into account the back-scattering and transmission coefficients.
The characteristics of the quasi-ballistic MOSFET
vary dramatically according to temperature, doping concentration in the source, oxide thickness and drain & gate
voltage. Dependences of these parameters on the quasiballistic transport are more pronounced as the channel
length becomes shorter.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by Grant No. (R01-2003000-11628-0) from the Basic Research Program of the
Korea Science & Engineering Foundation (KOSEF), and
partly by QSRC at Dongguk University.

APPENDIX A
Fig. 8. Characteristics of VGS -IDS as a function of oxide
layer thickness : tox =2 nm 1 nm, L = 40 nm and VDS =
0.05 V.

Drain current of the quasi-ballistic MOSFET is given

below :
IDS = W Qi (0) < (0) > .

results for the calculated drain current. The saturation

current is proportional to the applied gate voltage. However, note that the increase of the drain current is not
proportional to the square of the gate voltage.
5. Dependence of quasi-ballistic characteristics

(A1)

Inversion charge (Qi ) is simply expressed by :

Qi (0) = qns (0) Cef f (VGS VT H ),

(A2)

where ns (0) represents the carrier density at the beginning of the channel, and Cef f is the effective oxide capacitance.

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Journal of the Korean Physical Society, Vol. 45, December 2004

Average velocity of the carriers at the source end is,

< (0) > (

1r
)T ,
1+r

(A3)

where the back-scattering coefficient of carriers is given

by :
r=

`
,
` + 0

(A4)

And thermal velocity (in degenerate condition) is expressed by :

q
T = (8~/3m ) Cef f (VGS VT )/q,
(A5)
Thus, the drain current is given as follows :
IDS = W Cef f T (

1r
)(VGS VT H ),
1+r

(A6)

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