Imec presents forksheet device as the ultimate solution to push scaling towards the 2nm technology node

09/12/2019

TCAD simulations of a new forksheet device show 10 percent performance boost and 20 percent cell area reduction compared to gate-all-around nanosheet devices.

Researchers in cleanroom suits operating semiconductor lithography equipment in a white room laboratory
Diagram comparing finFET, nanosheet, forksheet and CFET transistor layouts with dashed red highlight boxes.
Figure 1 – From FinFET to nanosheet (with buried power rails (BPRs)), forksheet and CFET.
Diagram comparing SRAM half-cell layouts for FinFET, gate-all-around nanosheet, and forksheet devices.
Figure 2 – Layout of SRAM half cells for a) FinFET, b) gate-all-around nanosheet and c) forksheet. The forksheet can provide up to 30% scaling of the bit cell height as the p-n space is not governed by gate extension (GE), gate cut (GE) or dummy fin gate tuck (DFGT).

About imec

Imec is a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. The combination of our widely acclaimed leadership in microchip technology and profound software and ICT expertise is what makes us unique. By leveraging our world-class infrastructure and local and global ecosystem of partners across a multitude of industries, we create groundbreaking innovation in application domains such as healthcare, smart cities and mobility, logistics and manufacturing, energy and education.

As a trusted partner for companies, start-ups and universities we bring together more than 4,000 brilliant minds from over 97 nationalities. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and has distributed R&D groups at a number of Flemish universities, in the Netherlands, Taiwan, USA, and offices in China, India and Japan. In 2018, imec's revenue (P&L) totaled 583 million euro. Further information on imec can be found at www.imec-int.com.

Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of IMEC International (a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut”), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Government of Flanders), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland, part of Holst Centre which is supported by the Dutch Government), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.), imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.), imec India (Imec India Private Limited) and imec Florida (IMEC USA nanoelectronics design center).

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