Study of Defect-Induced Noise in Advanced MOSFETs for Cryogenic Operation

Relevant to the cryogenic operation of CMOS integrated circuits, random telegraph noise (RTN) temperature dependence was investigated using FinFET devices fabricated using Samsung’s 14-nm process technology. Transistor drive current degradation due to trapped charge in the gate oxide is experimentally observed to worsen with decreasing temperature. A newfound dependence of trap capture and emission rates on drain voltage is observed and explained. Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations using models calibrated to the measured data are then performed to investigate trends in RTN temperature dependence with transistor scaling (3-nm FinFET) and evolution [2-nm gate-all-around field-effect transistor (GAAFET)].