GOALI: Pioneering a Quantum Mechanical Route Towards Transforming the Future of Industrial Silicon Electronics

摘要：2011年国际半导体技术路线图要求硅电子行业在2026年之前实现高度激进的性能目标，这对于该行业的未来健康发展和该行业支持的全球技术社会至关重要。然而，路线图承认，目前尚不清楚最先进的硅技术的持续发展能否实现其2026年的目标。路线图隐含地假设，硅晶体管的未来仍将基于20世纪40年代建立的同一套物理原理。因此，走出这条传统的道路，探索能够以一种适合工业制造的方式实现路线图目标的非常规设备物理范式，可能是有益的。该研究项目旨在开辟硅电子学的新途径，明确利用硅晶体管操作中的量子力学现象。30多年来，人们已经知道电子学中明显的量子效应可以带来晶体管性能的变革性改进，这在传统途径中是不可能实现的。然而，这种量子晶体管从未以工业规模硅加工可接受的方式成功地执行。该研究项目的主要目的是证明将量子晶体管整合到硅电子器件中的可行性，并开辟一条使用标准工业制造方法的工具集和协议的道路。因此，该项目将提高美国的技术竞争力和STEM培训，为美国公民或永久居民学生提供工作和指导机会，让他们接触到学术和工业环境中的前沿科学技术研究。技术摘要：本研究项目旨在通过工业标准工艺制造的新型量子阱（QW）硅CMOS器件中展示显式量子输运，并为室温量子CMOS操作开辟了道路。使用45纳米和更小的工业CMOS节点构建的电子通道和势阱与电子量子波长相当，因此可以在室温下定义量子化状态。解决的重要开放问题是确定在工业限制下实现室温量子CMOS器件的可行性和最佳途径。为了达到这些目的，这个项目将测量和理解量子输运，通过在德州仪器工业生产线上制造的特殊设计的晶体管中的负差分跨导来证明，这些晶体管包含低维横向量子阱。所获得的经验知识将用于建模、设计和测试QW Si CMOS器件，目标是在室温下获得有用的强量子输运特性。这项研究开创了一种革命性的Si电子方法，将直接推动RF/模拟/混合信号CMOS器件朝着ITRS 2026最终路线图目标发展，这是目前工业研究中没有追求的方式。本研究处于基础物理、电气工程和半导体加工的交叉领域，为本科生和研究生提供了一个独特而有价值的跨学科培训机会。这项工作将使学生接触到工业的视角和研究方法，当他们进入劳动力市场时，这对学生和社会都特别有价值。

Abstract Title: Pioneering a Quantum Mechanical Route Towards Transforming the Future of Industrial Silicon Electronics Non-Technical Abstract: The 2011 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors challenges the silicon electronics industry to achieve highly aggressive performance targets by 2026 that are deemed vital for the future health of the industry and the global technological society the industry supports. However, the Roadmap admits that it is presently unknown whether continuing evolution of state-of-the-art silicon technologies can achieve its 2026 goals. The Roadmap implicitly assumes that future incarnations of silicon transistors will remain based on the same set of physics principles established in the 1940s. Hence it is potentially rewarding to go off this conventional path and explore unconventional device physics paradigms capable of achieving Roadmap targets in a way amenable to industrial manufacturing. This research project aims to open a new route in silicon electronics that exploits explicitly quantum mechanical phenomena in silicon transistor operation. It has been known for over 30 years that overt quantum effects in electronics can yield transformative improvements in transistor performance that would not be possible in the conventional pathway. However, such quantum transistors have never been successfully executed in a manner acceptable to industrial scale silicon processing. The chief aim of this research project is to demonstrate feasibility of and pioneer a route towards incorporating quantum transistors into silicon electronics using the toolset and protocols already part of standard industrial fabrication methods. As a consequence, this project will enhance US technological competitiveness and STEM training by providing a working and mentoring opportunity for US citizen or permanent resident students to gain exposure to forefront science and technology research bridging academic and industrial settings.Technical Abstract: This research project aims to demonstrate explicit quantum transport in a new class of quantum well (QW) silicon CMOS devices fabricated by industrially standard processes, and pioneer a path towards room-temperature quantum CMOS operation. Electron channels and potential wells constructed using 45 nm and smaller industrial CMOS nodes are comparable to the electron quantum wavelength so that quantized states can be well-defined possibly up to room temperature. The important open question addressed is to determine the viability of, and best route towards, achieving room temperature quantum CMOS devices within industrial constraints. To these ends, this project will measure and understand quantum transport as evidenced by negative differential transconductance in specially designed transistors, fabricated on Texas Instruments, industrial line, that incorporate low-dimensional lateral QWs. The empirical knowledge gained will be used to model, design, and test, QW Si CMOS devices with the goal of obtaining usefully strong quantum transport characteristics at room temperature. This research pioneers a transformative approach to Si electronics that will directly advance RF/analog/mixed-signal CMOS devices towards the ITRS 2026 end-of-roadmap goals in a manner not currently pursued in industrial research. This research sits at the intersection among fundamental physics, electrical engineering, and semiconductor processing, and thus provides a uniquely valuable cross-disciplinary training opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students. This work will expose students to an industrial perspective and approach to research, which will be particularly valuable to both students and society when they enter the workforce.