Performance and Reliability Assessment of Schottky Complementary Multi-FinFET Inverter for Advanced Scaling Nodes

This study investigates the performance of Schottky Complementary Multi-FinFET inverter for advanced technology nodes of 7 nm, 5 nm, and 3 nm using Sentaurus TCAD simulations. The impact of scaling on key device parameters, including threshold voltage (V<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">th</sub>), subthreshold swing (SS), drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL), ON-state current (ION), and OFF-state current (IOFF), is systematically investigated. The results indicate that the 5 nm node exhibit superior performance compared to other nodes, with improved electrostatic control, higher drive current (0.00212 for n-FinFET, -1.16x10<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-4</sup> for p-FinFET), and lower leakage current, making them suitable for low-power applications. Further, Voltage Transfer Characteristics (VTC) analysis was performed for the 5 nm node, demonstrating sharp transitions with well-defined logic levels and strong voltage gain. Additionally, transient analysis confirms high-speed switching operation with minimal propagation delay, highlighting the feasibility of Schottky-based FinFET inverters for next-generation ultra-scaled digital circuits. Furthermore, a comprehensive reliability assessment was carried out for the 5 nm node, focusing on analog/RF performance and VTC characteristics by varying temperatures from 100 K to 250 K. The study reveals that as temperature increases, there are notable shifts in key parameters, affecting the overall stability and efficiency of the device. The temperature-dependent analysis highlights the robustness of the Schottky-contacted FinFET inverter and provides critical insights into its applicability for future high-performance and energy-efficient logic applications under varying thermal conditions. These findings make the proposed device highly suitable for applications in microprocessors, data converters, IoT systems, and cryogenic computing platforms.