Research progress and challenges in the reliability of SiGe channel CMOS device

As complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology scales down to the 5 nm node and beyond, SiGe channels have become a promising solution for high-performance p-type field-effect transistor (pFET) due to their superior hole mobility, with potential extensive application in further scaled nodes. This review provides an overview of recent advancements and challenges in the reliability of SiGe channel CMOS devices. This article begins by analyzing the significant improvement and physical mechanism in negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) observed in SiGe channel pFET. It then evaluates other critical reliability concerns, such as positive bias temperatureinstability (PBTI), oxide breakdown (BD), hot carrier injection (HCI) degradation, low-frequency noise (LFN), and self-heating effect (SHE) in SiGe-based CMOS devices. Research indicates that while SiGe technology demonstrates notable advantages in mitigating NBTI, it also introduces new challenges, including PBTI degradation, increased off-state leakage current, and exacerbated self-heating. By investigating the physical mechanisms behind these reliability issues, this review suggests that advanced SiGe channel CMOS technology can achieve the co-optimization of performance and reliability through channel composition engineering, interface optimization, and device structure improvements.