Reconfigurable computing architectures combine the flexibility of software with the performance of custom hardware. Such architectures are of particular interest at the nanoscale level. We argue that a bottom-up self-assembled fabric of nodes will be easier and cheaper to manufacture, however, one has to make compromises with regards to the device regularity, homogeneity, and reliability. The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the performance and cost of a self-configurable computing architecture composed of simple reconfigurable nodes for unstructured and unknown fabrics. We built a software and hardware framework for this purpose. The framework enables creating an irregular network of compute nodes where each node can be configured as a simple 2-input, 4-bit logic gate. The compute nodes are organized hierarchically by sending a packet through a top anchor node that recruits compute nodes with a chemically-inspired algorithm. The nodes are then self-configured by means of a gate-level netlist describing any digital logic circuit. A topology-agnostic optimization algorithm inspired by simulated annealing is then initiated to self-optimize the circuit for latency. Latency comparisons between non-optimized, brute-force optimized and our optimization algorithm are made. We further implement the architecture in VHDL and evaluate hardware cost, area, and energy consumption. The simple on-chip topology-agnostic optimization algorithm we propose results in a significant (up to 50\%) performance improvement compared to the non-optimized circuits. Our findings are of particular interest for emerging nano and molecular-scale circuits.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Tam-Anh Chu. / M.S.

The continuous downscaling has enforced the device size and oxide thickness to few nanometers. After serving for several decades as an excellent gate oxide layer in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices, the thickness of SiO2 layer has reached to its theoretical limits. Ultra-thin films of SiO2 can result in severe leakage currents due to direct tunneling as well as maintaining the homogeneity of the layers becomes an additional challenge. The use of a high- (HK) layer can solve these twin concerns of the semiconductor industry, which can also enhance the capacitance due to superior dielectric permittivity and reduce the leakage current by being thicker than the silicon dioxide. This thesis is concerned about the development of solution route fabricated high-k (TiO2, ZrO2 and HfO2) gate dielectrics and the investigation of high-/silicon interfaces by highly sensitive DLTS technique in MOS structures. The solution processing reduce the industrial fabrication cost and the DLTS method has the advantage to accurately measure the interface related defects parameters; such as interface trap density (Dit), capture cross-section (), activation energy (ET) and also distinguish between bulk and interface traps. In this thesis, HK films have been deposited by solution route, the material and electrical properties of the film and the HK/Si interface have been extensively evaluated. IN CHAPTER 1, we have summarized the history and evolution of transistor and it provides the background for the work presented in this thesis. IN CHAPTER 2, we have described the experimental method /technique used for the fabrication and characterization. The advantages and working principals of spin-coating and DLTS techniques are summarized. IN CHAPTER 3, we have presented the preparation and optimization of TiO2 based HK layer. Structural, surface morphology, optical electrical and dielectric properties are discussed in details. A high- 34 value is achieved for the 36 nm TiO2 films. IN CHAPTER 4, we presented the technologically relevant Si/TiO2 interface study by DLTS technique. The DLTS analysis reveals a small capture cross-section of the interface with acceptable interface state density. IN CHAPTER 5, we have focused on the fabrication of amorphous ZrO2 films on p-Si substrate. The advantage of amorphous dielectric layer is summarized as first dielectric reported SiO2 is used in its amorphous phase. The moderate-15 with low leakage current density is achieved. IN CHAPTER 6, the HfO2 films are prepared using hafnium isopropoxide and a high value of dielectric constant 23 is optimized with low leakage current density. The current conduction mechanisms are discussed in details. IN CHAPTER 7, we have probed the oxygen vacancy related sub-band-gap states in HfO2 by DLTS technique. IN CHAPTER 8, we have presented the summary of the dissertation and the prospect research directions are suggested. In summary, we have studied the group IVB transition metal elemental oxides (TMEO); TiO2, ZrO2 and HfO2 thin films in the MOS structure, as a possible replacement of SiO2 gate dielectric. For the TMEO films deposition a low-cost and simple method spin-coating was utilized. The film thicknesses are in the range of 35 – 39 nm, which was measured by ellipsometry and confirmed with the cross-sectional SEM. A rough surface of gate dielectric layer can trap the charge carrier and may cause the Fermi level pinning, which can cause the threshold voltage instabilities. Hence, surface roughness of oxide layer play an important role in CMOS device operation. We have achieved quite good flat surfaces (RMS surface roughness’s are 0.2 – 2.43 nm) for the films deposited in this work. The TiO2 based MOS gate stack shows an optimized high dielectric constant ( 34) with low leakage current density (3.710-7 A.cm-2 at 1 V). A moderate dielectric constant ( 15) with low leakage current density (4.710-9 A.cm-2 at 1 V) has been observed for the amorphous ZrO2 thin films. While, HfO2 based MOS gate stack shows reasonably high dielectric constant ( 23) with low leakage current density (1.410-8 A.cm-2 at 1 V). We have investigated the dominating current conduction mechanism and found that the current is mainly governed by space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism for the high bias voltages, while low and intermediate bias voltages show the (Poole – Frenkel) PF and (Fowler – Nordheim) FN tunneling, respectively. For the HfO2 MOS device band alignment is drawn from the UPS and J-V measurements. The band gap and electron affinity of HfO2 films are estimated 5.9 eV and 3 eV, respectively, which gives a reasonable conduction band offset (1.05 eV) with respect to Si. A TMEO film suffers from a large number of intrinsic defects, which are mostly oxygen vacancies. These defects can create deep levels below the conduction band of high- dielectric material, which can act like a hole and electron traps. In addition to that, interface between Si and high- is an additional concern. These defect states in the band gap of high- or at the Si/ high- interface might lead to the threshold voltage shifts, lower carrier mobility in transistor channel, Fermi level pinning and various other reliability issues. Hence, we also studied bulk and interfacial defects present in the high- films on Si and their interface with Si by a very sensitive DLTS technique. The capture cross-sections are measured by insufficient filling DLTS (IF – DLTS). The defects present at the interface are Si dandling bond and defect in the bulk are mostly oxygen vacancies related defects present in various charge states. The interface states (Dit) are in the range of 2×1011 to 9×1011 eV-1cm-2, which are higher than the Al/SiO2/Si MOS devices (Dit in Al/SiO2/Si is the benchmark and in the order of 1010 eV-1cm-2). Still this is an acceptable value for Si/high-k (non-native oxide) MOS devices and consistent with other deposition methods. The capture cross-sections are found to be quite low in the order of 10-18 to 10-19 cm2, which indicate a minor impact on the device operation. The small value of capture cross-sections are attributed to the involvement of tunneling, to and from the bulk traps to the interface. In conclusion, the low cost solution processed high- thin films obtained are of high quality and find their importance as a potential dielectric layer. DLTS study will be helpful to reveal various interesting facts observed in high- such as resistive switching, magnetism and leakage current problems mediated by oxygen vacancy related defects

The focus of this thesis is the investigation of thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOSs) in two circuit applications. To date, circuits implemented with AOS-based TFTs have been primarily enhancement-enhancement inverters, ring oscillators based on these inverters operating at peak frequencies up to ~400 kHz, and two-transistor one-capacitor pixel driving circuits for use with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDS). The first application investigated herein is AC/DC rectification using two circuit configurations based on staggered bottom-gate TFTs employing indium gallium oxide (IGO) as the active channel layer; a traditional full bridge rectifier with diode-tied transistors and a cross-tied full-wave rectifier are demonstrated, which is analogous to what has been reported previously using p-type organic TFTs. Both circuit configurations are found to operate successfully up to at least 20 MHz; this is believed to be the highest reported operating frequency to date for circuits based on amorphous oxide semiconductors. Output voltages at one megahertz are 9 V and ~10.5 V, respectively, when driven with a differential 7.07 Vrms sine wave. This performance is superior to that of previously reported organic-based rectifiers. The second AOS-based TFT circuit application investigated is an enhancement-depletion (E-D) inverter based on heterogeneous channel materials. Simulation results using models based on a depletion-mode indium zinc oxide (IZO) TFT and an enhancement-mode IGO TFT result in a gain of ~15. Gains of other oxide-based inverters have been limited to less than 2; the large gain of the E-D inverter makes it well suited for digital logic applications. Deposition parameters for the IGO and IZO active layers are optimized to match the models used in simulation by fabricating TFTs on thermally oxidized silicon and patterned via shadow masks. Integrated IGO-based TFTs exhibit a similar turn-on voltage and decreased mobility compared to the shadow masked TFTs. However, the integrated IZO-based TFTs fabricated to date are found to be conductive and exhibit no gate modulation. Due to the conductive nature of the load, the fabricated E-D inverter shows no significant output voltage variation. This discrepancy in performance between the integrated and shadow-masked IZO devices is attributed to processing complications. / Graduation date: 2009

Image sensors play a vital role in many image sensing and capture applications. Among the various types of image sensors, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) based active pixel sensors (APS), which are characterized by reduced pixel size, give fast readouts and reduced noise. APS are used in many applications such as mobile cameras, digital cameras, Webcams, and many consumer, commercial and scientific applications. With these developments and applications, CMOS APS designs are challenging the old and mature technology of charged couple device (CCD) sensors. With the continuous improvements of APS architecture, pixel designs, along with the development of nanometer CMOS fabrications technologies, APS are optimized for optical sensing. In addition, APS offers very low-power and low-voltage operations and is suitable for monolithic integration, thus allowing manufacturers to integrate more functionality on the array and building low-cost camera-on-a-chip. In this thesis, I explore the current state-of-the-art of CMOS APS by examining various types of APS. I show design and simulation results of one of the most commonly used APS in consumer applications, i.e. photodiode based APS. We also present an approach for technology scaling of the devices in photodiode APS to present CMOS technologies. Finally, I present the most modern CMOS APS technologies by reviewing different design models. The design of the photodiode APS is implemented using commercial CAD tools.

Power dissipation of integrated circuits is the most demanding issue for very large scale integration (VLSI) design engineers, especially for portable and mobile applications. Use of multiple supply voltages systems, which employs level converter between two voltage islands is one of the most effective ways to reduce power consumption. In this thesis work, a unique level converter known as universal level converter (ULC), capable of four distinct level converting operations, is proposed. The schematic and layout of ULC are built and simulated using CADENCE. The ULC is characterized by performing three analysis such as parametric, power, and load analysis which prove that the design has an average power consumption reduction of about 85-97% and capable of producing stable output at low voltages like 0.45V even under varying load conditions.

This thesis presents a novel hybrid biological solid-state system which makes use of biological components in an in-vitro environment to produce functionality incapable by CMOS circuits alone. A "biocell" comprised of lipids and ion pumps is mated to a CMOS IC in a compact configuration and the IC is powered solely from adenosine triphosphate (ATP), often referred to as the 'life energy currency.' The biocell is a fuel cell that produces a membrane potential in the presence of ATP which is used by the IC as an electrical power supply. The design represents the first of a new class of devices combining both biological and solid-state components, which exploit the unique properties of transmembrane proteins in engineered solid-state systems. This work also suggests that the richness of function of biological ion channels and pumps, functionality that is impossible to achieve in CMOS alone, may be exploited in systems that combine engineered transmembrane proteins as biological components integrated with solid-state devices.

Yeung Wing-ki. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-65). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstracts --- p.i / 摘要 --- p.iii / Acknowledgements --- p.iv / Contents --- p.v / List of Figures --- p.vii / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1. --- Low ower Design --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2. --- ower Consumtion in Conventional CMOS Logic --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3. --- Adiabatic Switching --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3.1. --- Varying Suly Voltage --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3.2. --- Charge Recovery --- p.12 / Chapter 2. --- Adiabatic Quasi-static CMOS Logic --- p.13 / Chapter 2.1. --- AqsCMOS Logic Building Block --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2. --- AqsCMOS inverter --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3. --- ower Reduced in Sinusoidal Suly --- p.18 / Chapter 2.4. --- Clocking Scheme --- p.21 / Chapter 3. --- Contactless Smart Card --- p.23 / Chapter 3.1. --- Architecture --- p.23 / Chapter 3.2. --- Standardization --- p.26 / Chapter 3.3. --- Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter (UART) --- p.30 / Chapter 4. --- Clock Recovery --- p.35 / Chapter 4.1 --- Adiabatic Ring Oscillator --- p.35 / Chapter 4.2. --- Secial Frequencies of AqsCMOS Ring Oscillator --- p.39 / Chapter 4.3. --- ower Extraction --- p.41 / Chapter 5. --- Evaluations and Measurement Results --- p.43 / Chapter 5.1. --- Outut Transitions --- p.43 / Chapter 5.2. --- Ring Oscillator --- p.44 / Chapter 5.3. --- Synchronization --- p.47 / Chapter 5.4. --- ower Consumtion --- p.49 / Chapter 6. --- Conclusion --- p.53 / Aendix --- p.54 / Glossary --- p.62 / Reference --- p.64

Two-dimensional numerical simulation was used to study the scaling properties of SOI p-MOSFETs. Based on the design criteria for the threshold voltage and DIBL, a set of design curves for different designs was developed. Data for subthreshold slope, SCE and threshold voltage sensitivity to silicon film thickness are also given. Results show that short-channel effects can be controlled by increasing the doping level or by thinning the silicon film thickness. The first approach is more effective for p+ gate design with high body doping, while the second approach is much more effective for n+ gate design with low body doping. Then+ gate design is more suited for the design of fully depleted (FD) devices since we need to keep the doping low to minimize the threshold adjustment implant dose and to use thin silicon films to control the SCE. The design of both p-MOSFET and Si 1-xGex p-MOSFET requires the implantation for the threshold voltage adjustment. The p+ gate design is more suited for the partially depleted (PD) or near-fully depleted device design since we need to use high doping for the threshold voltage adjustment and this results in large threshold voltage sensitivity to silicon film thickness for FD devices. The design of Si SOI p-MOSFET is done by properly adjusting the body doping. For the Si1-xGex SOI p-MOSFET large reduction in VTH requires large body doping. This increases the parasitic capacitances and slows down the device.

With increasing demand for complex and faster circuits, CMOS technologies are progressing towards the deep-submicron level. Process complexity increases dramatically, and costly techniques are to be developed to create dense field isolation and shallow junctions. Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) may solve some of these problems. On the other hand, strained Si 1_xGex layers have been successfully grown on Si substrates and demonstrated much higher hole mobility than bulk Si. This can be used to build high-mobility p-MOSFET with a buried Si 1_xGex channel. A high mobility p-MOSFET would improve both the circuit speed and the level of integration. The purpose of the present study was to model and simulate the effective mobility (μeff) of SOI Si 1-xGex p-MOSFET, and to investigate the suitability of local mobility models provided by simulator MEDICI for studying SOI Si 1_xGex p-MOSFET. The simulation is performed by using the two-dimensional device simulation program (MEDICI). The design parameters, such as Si-cap thickness, Ge profile and back-gate bias, were also investigated. A long channel (6μ) and a short channel (0.25μ) SOI and bulk Si 1_xGex p MOSFET were used for the study. Simulation reveals good effective mobility μeff match with experimental results if Si Ge channel of p-MOSFET can simply be treated like a bulk silicon with mobility 250cm2 /Vs. Mobility models provided by MEDICI are two types: a) mobility model (SRFMOB2) that is dependent on transverse electric field only at Si/ Si02 interface, which means that the effective mobility is a function of grid spacing at Si/ Si02 interface, and b) mobility models (PRPMOB, LSMMOB and HPMOB) that are dependent on transverse electric field anywhere in the device. PRPMOB and LSMMOB produce very good μef f and are insensitive to the grid spacing. HP MOB gives slight over estimation of effective mobility μef f. Silicon cap thickness can significantly influence the effective mobility μef f. In general, the thin silicon cap have better effective mobility μef f, but it is limited by manufacturing process. Graded Si 1_:z:Ge:z: channel presents nearly 100% improvement of effective mobility μeff for p-MOSFET over its bulk counterpart. This improvement is sustained up to gate voltage of 2.5 V. Simulation also indicates that large improvement of effective mobility μef f requires higher Ge concentration at the top of SiGe channel with steep grading. The influence of back-gate bias on μeff is small, hence, SOI SiGe MOSFET is well suited to building CMOS circuits.