Semiconductor technology has profoundly changed the world influencing most aspects of today's society. As we review the evolution of the integrated circuit technology over the last three decades, from 1985 to 2015, we observe how the device dimension reduction evolves from the micrometer to the nanometer scale, but performance can no longer be improved by mere scale reduction and other innovations, such as the incorporation of new materials from the periodic table, new fabrication technology steps or structures, or the introduction of mechanical strain and crystal reorientation to boost carrier mobility. We notice the evolution from the classical two-dimensional metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) toward the three-dimensional FinFET and further experimental device structures, such as nanowires and quantum dots. An overview of the potential new devices or functions, based on the new materials and processing steps, will also be introduced so the reader becomes aware of the wide and vast opportunities far beyond microprocessor-based electronics.

Chapter Contents:

• Introduction
• References

Inspec keywords: MOSFET; nanoelectronics; carrier mobility; crystal orientation

Other keywords: device dimension reduction; crystal reorientation; new fabrication technology; carrier mobility; quantum dots; semiconductor technology; microprocessor-based electronics; MOSFET; two-dimensional metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor; mechanical strain; nanoscaled semiconductor devices; periodic table; experimental device structures; integrated circuit technology; three-dimensional FinFET; nanowires

Subjects: Insulated gate field effect transistors