A CMOS-compatible poly-Si nanowire device with hybrid sensor/memory characteristics for System-on-Chip applications.
This paper reports a versatile nano-sensor technology using "top-down" poly-silicon nanowire field-effect transistors (FETs) in the conventional Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible semiconductor process. The nanowire manufacturing technique reduced nanowire width scaling to 50 nm without use of extra lithography equipment, and exhibited superior device uniformity. These n type polysilicon nanowire FETs have positive pH sensitivity (100 mV/pH) and sensitive deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) detection ability (100 pM) at normal system operation voltages. Specially designed oxide-nitride-oxide buried oxide nanowire realizes an electrically V(th)-adjustable sensor to compensate device variation. These nanowire FETs also enable non-volatile memory application for a large and steady V(th) adjustment window (>2 V Programming/Erasing window). The CMOS-compatible manufacturing technique of polysilicon nanowire FETs offers a possible solution for commercial System-on-Chip biosensor application, which enables portable physiology monitoring and in situ recording.
National Nano Device Laboratories, No. 26, Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan. mcchen@ndl.narl.org.tw
Min-Cheng
MC
Chen
Hao-Yu
HY
Chen
Chia-Yi
CY
Lin
Chao-Hsin
CH
Chien
Tsung-Fan
TF
Hsieh
Jim-Tong
JT
Horng
Jian-Tai
JT
Qiu
Chien-Chao
CC
Huang
Chia-Hua
CH
Ho
Fu-Liang
FL
Yang
D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D053770:Nanowires; D012666:Semiconductors; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*
D004247:DNA; D012825:Silicon