Germanium PMOSFETs with Low-Temperature Si₂H₆ Passivation Featuring High Hole Mobility and Superior Negative Bias Temperature Instability

We investigate negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) on high performance Ge p?channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (pMOSFETs) with low-temperature Si₂H₆ passivation. The Ge pMOSFETs exhibit an effective hole mobility of 311 cm²/V?s at an inversion charge density of 2.5×10¹² cm^?2. NBTI characterization is performed to investigate the linear transconductance (G_{M, lin}) degradation and threshold voltage shift (ΔV_TH) under NBT stress. Ge pMOSFETs with a 10 yr lifetime at an operating voltage of -0.72 V are demonstrated. The impact of the Si₂H₆ passivation temperature is studied. As the passivation temperature increases from 350°C to 550°C, the degradation of NBTI characteristics, e.g., G_{M, lin} loss, ΔV_TH and an operating voltage for a lifetime of 10 yr, is observed.