Dual-gate silicon nanowire transistors with nickel silicide contacts

The formation of nickel silicide contacts in silicon nanowire transistors and its impact on the electrical device characteristics is investigated. The authors notice that silicide formation at low temperature converts substantial portions of the silicon wire into a metallic source/drain extension. The study also shows the impact of these contacts in a dual-gate field-effect transistor design and discusses the importance of carrier injection from the contacts even for devices with substantial scattering inside the channel