Mobility-enhancement technologies

Applying stress to induce appropriate strain in the channel region of metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) increases both electron and hole mobilities in the strained channel as stated in R. People (1986), J. J. Welser et al. (1994), C. K. Maiti et al. (1998) and D. J. Paul (2004). Furthermore, interest is driven by the possibility of creating electronic devices as well as integrating existing devices in different materials systems, leading to the production of integrated circuits with increased functionality and lower cost. In this article, we review various mobility enhancement techniques, such as substrate-enhancement, including stain, Ge/SiGe channels, orientations, process-induced strain, and package-strain (external mechanical strain).