Research Objectives and Approaches: The objective of this research is to address one of the most pressing questions in the area of electronics ?how to reduce power consumption in new generations of field-effect transistors. The approach is to employ for the first time a silicon/germanium nanowire heterostructure in a core-shell arrangement to enable a novel type of gated tunneling device structure. This device makes explicit use of the one-dimensionality of the system by employing the quantum capacitance limit.
Intellectual Merit: While transistors have been scaled substantially over the course of the last few decades, power consumption kept increasing due to the use of "conventional" devices. The proposed tunneling transistor development from a coaxial nanowire heterostructure utilizing germanium and silicon is capable of overcoming this major obstacle by employing a band pass filter type arrangement. A one-dimensional wire structure can truly exploit this tunneling approach to create a device with substantially reduced power consumption specs while the use of industry compatible materials allows technology transfer at a later stage.
Broader Impact: The proposed work will add to the current understanding of the impact of the quantum capacitance in low-dimensional systems with respect to future low-power devices applications. At the same time the proposed effort includes an integrated education and outreach program that addresses challenges in current nano- materials and devices related education. The proposed program includes 1) the development of a course on "One-Dimensional Nanoelectronics", and 2) an effort on mentoring through Women in Science and Women in Engineering.
