Double Gate Transistor Leakage Current Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing semiconductor integrated circuit devices face challenges in reducing leakage current, particularly due to increased gate leakage current through thinner gate oxide films, which cannot be effectively cut off, leading to higher power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a semiconductor integrated circuit device with a power switch and a drive circuit using a double gate transistor with asymmetrical gate oxide film thicknesses, where one gate has a smaller film thickness than the other, allowing independent control of gate potentials to reduce leakage current.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the gate oxide film thickness is reduced to increase circuit integration density, then the transistor switching performance is improved, but the gate leakage current increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The gate oxide film is segmented into a stacked structure consisting of a first gate oxide film layer and a second gate oxide film layer with different dielectric constants. This segmentation allows the combination of thin film (for good switching performance) and high-k material (for reduced leakage current), resolving the contradiction between switching performance and leakage current.
Solution Approach 2:
The dielectric constant parameter of the gate oxide film is changed by using a stacked structure with materials of different dielectric constants. The first layer has a lower dielectric constant while the second layer has a higher dielectric constant, optimizing both switching performance and reducing gate leakage current through parameter optimization.
2Power
If the gate oxide film is made thinner to improve device performance, then the transistor operates faster, but the gate leakage current increases leading to higher power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The gate oxide film is divided into multiple layers with different dielectric constants, allowing the first layer to be thin for fast switching while the second layer with higher dielectric constant reduces the overall leakage current, thus maintaining high power operation with lower energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The gate oxide film uses a composite structure of two different dielectric materials stacked together. This composite material approach combines the advantages of thin films (fast switching) and high-k materials (low leakage), achieving both fast operation and low power consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a technique of reducing the leakage current of a drive circuit for driving a circuit that must retain a potential (or information) when in its standby state.A semiconductor integrated circuit device of the present invention includes a drive circuit for driving a circuit block. This drive circuit is made up of a double gate transistor with gates having different gate oxide film thicknesses. When the circuit block is in its standby state, the gate of the double gate transistor having a thinner gate oxide film is turned off and that having a thicker gate oxide film is turned on. This arrangement allows a reduction in the leakage currents of both the circuit block and the drive circuit while allowing the drive circuit to deliver or cut off power to the circuit block.