Si, SiGe Nanowire Devices by Top-Down Technology and Their Applications

Nanowire (NW) devices, particularly the gate-all-around (GAA) CMOS architecture, have emerged as the frontrunner for pushing CMOS scaling beyond the roadmap. These devices offer unique advantages over their planar counterparts which make them feasible as an option for 22-nm and beyond technology nodes. This paper reviews the current technology status for realizing the GAA NW device structures and their applications in logic circuit and nonvolatile memories. We also take a glimpse into applications of NWs in the more-than-Moore regime and briefly discuss the application of NWs as biochemical sensors. Finally, we summarize the status and outline the challenges and opportunities of the NW technology.