Investigating the performance limits of silicon nanowires and carbon nanotube FETs

In this work we investigate and compare the electrostatics of fully-depleted cylindrical nanowire (CNW) FETs, rectangular nanowire (RNW) FETs, FinFETs and gate-all-around carbon-nanotube (GAA-CNT) FETs at extreme miniaturization limits. In doing so, we rigorously solve the coupled Schroedinger-Poisson equations within the device cross sections and fully account for quantum-mechanical effects. The investigation leads to the conclusion that, for an assigned threshold voltage, the gate-all-around CNT-FET offers superior properties due to the confinement of the gate-induced charge at the surface of the nanotube.