Band Structure Effects on the Current-Voltage Characteristics of SNW-FETs

In this work we investigate band structure effects on the current-voltage characteristics of ultra-scaled silicon nanowire (SNW) FETs. A new approach is used for the computation of quantum transport which accounts for the complete periodic shape of the 1DEG energy subbands. The main findings of our model are: i) a possible negative output conductance for small cross-sections due to the finite energy extension of the sub-bands; ii) an increase of the transit time due to a reduced average velocity and, iii) a worsening of the subthreshold slope for short channel lengths.