Simulation analysis of the electro-thermal performance of SOI FinFETs

The GSS ‘atomistic’ simulator GARAND has been enhanced with a thermal simulation module to investigate the impact of self-heating on FinFET DC operation. This thermal simulation module is based on the solution of the coupled Heat Flow, Poisson, and Current Continuity Equations, which is developed for the benefit of computational efficiency. A new formula for the calculation of the thermal conductivity in the fin region is employed considering both fin shape and temperature dependencies. The heat dissipation through the gate is treated by nonhomogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. The electro-thermal simulation results for an SOI FinFET example, designed to meet the specifications for the 14/16nm CMOS technology generation, are presented. The lattice temperature profiles under different external thermal resistances connected to the gate and the corresponding Id-Vg characteristics are investigated and analysed.