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A review on SRAM-based computing in-memory: Circuits, functions, and applications 125
Zhiting Lin, Zhongzhen Tong, Jin Zhang, Fangming Wang, Tian Xu, Yue Zhao, Xiulong Wu, Chunyu Peng, Wenjuan Lu, Qiang Zhao, Junning Chen
2022, 43(3): 031401. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/43/3/031401

Artificial intelligence (AI) processes data-centric applications with minimal effort. However, it poses new challenges to system design in terms of computational speed and energy efficiency. The traditional von Neumann architecture cannot meet the requirements of heavily data-centric applications due to the separation of computation and storage. The emergence of computing in-memory (CIM) is significant in circumventing the von Neumann bottleneck. A commercialized memory architecture, static random-access memory (SRAM), is fast and robust, consumes less power, and is compatible with state-of-the-art technology. This study investigates the research progress of SRAM-based CIM technology in three levels: circuit, function, and application. It also outlines the problems, challenges, and prospects of SRAM-based CIM macros.

Multiple SiGe/Si layers epitaxy and SiGe selective etching for vertically stacked DRAM 122
Zhenzhen Kong, Hongxiao Lin, Hailing Wang, Yanpeng Song, Junjie Li, Xiaomeng Liu, Anyan Du, Yuanhao Miao, Yiwen Zhang, Yuhui Ren, Chen Li, Jiahan Yu, Jinbiao Liu, Jingxiong Liu, Qinzhu Zhang, Jianfeng Gao, Huihui Li, Xiangsheng Wang, Junfeng Li, Henry H. Radamson, Chao Zhao, Tianchun Ye, Guilei Wang
2023, 44(12): 124101. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/44/12/124101

Fifteen periods of Si/Si0.7Ge0.3 multilayers (MLs) with various SiGe thicknesses are grown on a 200 mm Si substrate using reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD). Several methods were utilized to characterize and analyze the ML structures. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results show that the ML structure with 20 nm Si0.7Ge0.3 features the best crystal quality and no defects are observed. Stacked Si0.7Ge0.3 ML structures etched by three different methods were carried out and compared, and the results show that they have different selectivities and morphologies. In this work, the fabrication process influences on Si/SiGe MLs are studied and there are no significant effects on the Si layers, which are the channels in lateral gate all around field effect transistor (L-GAAFET) devices. For vertically-stacked dynamic random access memory (VS-DRAM), it is necessary to consider the dislocation caused by strain accumulation and stress release after the number of stacked layers exceeds the critical thickness. These results pave the way for the manufacture of high-performance multivertical-stacked Si nanowires, nanosheet L-GAAFETs, and DRAM devices.

A wide-bandgap copolymer donor with a 5-methyl-4H-dithieno[3,2-e:2',3'-g]isoindole-4,6(5H)-dione unit 122
Anxin Sun, Jingui Xu, Guanhua Zong, Zuo Xiao, Yong Hua, Bin Zhang, Liming Ding
2021, 42(10): 100502. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/42/10/100502

8-inch free-standing GaN substrates grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy 113
Ruihua Zhang, Fang Liu, Yao Wu, Hongfen Xu, Jinmi He, Ming Liu, Jianhui Wang, Kunyang Li, Ping Wang, Jiejun Wu, Tongjun Yu, Qi Wang, Jingquan Lu, Guoyi Zhang, Xinqiang Wang
doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/25100017

The absence of large-size gallium nitride (GaN) substrates with low dislocation density remains a primary bottleneck for advancing GaN-based devices. Here, we demonstrate the achievement of 8-inch freestanding GaN substrates grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy. Critical to this achievement is the improvement in gas-flow uniformity, which ensures exceptional thickness homogeneity and enables the crack-free growth of GaN. After laser lift-off (LLO) separation, the freestanding GaN substrate exhibits superior crystal quality, evidenced by full width at half maximum values of 68 and 54 arcsec for X-ray diffraction rocking curves of (002) and (102) planes, alongside a low dislocation density of 1.6 × 106 cm−2. This approach establishes a robust pathway for the production of large-size GaN substrates, which are essential for advancing next-generation power electronics and high-efficiency photonics.

Indium–gallium–zinc–oxide thin-film transistors: Materials, devices, and applications 76
Ying Zhu, Yongli He, Shanshan Jiang, Li Zhu, Chunsheng Chen, Qing Wan
2021, 42(3): 031101. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/42/3/031101

Since the invention of amorphous indium–gallium–zinc–oxide (IGZO) based thin-film transistors (TFTs) by Hideo Hosono in 2004, investigations on the topic of IGZO TFTs have been rapidly expanded thanks to their high electrical performance, large-area uniformity, and low processing temperature. This article reviews the recent progress and major trends in the field of IGZO-based TFTs. After a brief introduction of the history of IGZO and the main advantages of IGZO-based TFTs, an overview of IGZO materials and IGZO-based TFTs is given. In this part, IGZO material electron travelling orbitals and deposition methods are introduced, and the specific device structures and electrical performance are also presented. Afterwards, the recent advances of IGZO-based TFT applications are summarized, including flat panel display drivers, novel sensors, and emerging neuromorphic systems. In particular, the realization of flexible electronic systems is discussed. The last part of this review consists of the conclusions and gives an outlook over the field with a prediction for the future.

Theoretical and experimental study on the vertical-variable-doping superjunction MOSFET with optimized process window 76
Min Ren, Meng Pi, Rongyao Ma, Xin Zhang, Ziyi Zhou, Qingying Lei, Lvqiang Li, Zehong Li, Bo Zhang
2025, 46(6): 062302. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/24070029

As a type of charge-balanced power device, the performance of super-junction MOSFETs (SJ-MOS) is significantly influenced by fluctuations in the fabrication process. To overcome the relatively narrow process window of conventional SJ-MOS, an optimized structure "vertical variable doping super-junction MOSFET (VVD-SJ)" is proposed. Based on the analysis using the charge superposition principle, it is observed that the VVD-SJ, in which the impurity concentration of the P-pillar gradually decreases while that of the N-pillar increases from top to bottom, improves the electric field distribution and mitigates charge imbalance (CIB). Experimental results demonstrate that the optimized 600 V VVD-SJ achieves a 35.90% expansion of the process window.

A review of silicon-based wafer bonding processes, an approach to realize the monolithic integration of Si-CMOS and III–V-on-Si wafers 73
Shuyu Bao, Yue Wang, Khaw Lina, Li Zhang, Bing Wang, Wardhana Aji Sasangka, Kenneth Eng Kian Lee, Soo Jin Chua, Jurgen Michel, Eugene Fitzgerald, Chuan Seng Tan, Kwang Hong Lee
2021, 42(2): 023106. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/42/2/023106

The heterogeneous integration of III–V devices with Si-CMOS on a common Si platform has shown great promise in the new generations of electrical and optical systems for novel applications, such as HEMT or LED with integrated control circuitry. For heterogeneous integration, direct wafer bonding (DWB) techniques can overcome the materials and thermal mismatch issues by directly bonding dissimilar materials systems and device structures together. In addition, DWB can perform at wafer-level, which eases the requirements for integration alignment and increases the scalability for volume production. In this paper, a brief review of the different bonding technologies is discussed. After that, three main DWB techniques of single-, double- and multi-bonding are presented with the demonstrations of various heterogeneous integration applications. Meanwhile, the integration challenges, such as micro-defects, surface roughness and bonding yield are discussed in detail.

SSA-over-array (SSoA): A stacked DRAM architecture for near-memory computing 72
Xiping Jiang, Fujun Bai, Song Wang, Yixin Guo, Fengguo Zuo, Wenwu Xiao, Yubing Wang, Jianguo Yang, Ming Liu
2024, 45(10): 102201. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/24050004

Aiming to enhance the bandwidth in near-memory computing, this paper proposes a SSA-over-array (SSoA) architecture. By relocating the secondary sense amplifier (SSA) from dynamic random access memory (DRAM) to the logic die and repositioning the DRAM-to-logic stacking interface closer to the DRAM core, the SSoA overcomes the layout and area limitations of SSA and master DQ (MDQ), leading to improvements in DRAM data-width density and frequency, significantly enhancing bandwidth density. The quantitative evaluation results show a 70.18 times improvement in bandwidth per unit area over the baseline, with a maximum bandwidth of 168.296 Tbps/Gb. We believe the SSoA is poised to redefine near-memory computing development strategies.

Towards efficient generative AI and beyond-AI computing: New trends on ISSCC 2024 machine learning accelerators 70
Bohan Yang, Jia Chen, Fengbin Tu
2024, 45(4): 040204. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/45/4/040204

Dithieno[3',2':3,4;2'',3'':5,6]benzo[1,2-c][1,2,5]oxadiazole-based polymer donors with deep HOMO levels 70
Xiongfeng Li, Jingui Xu, Zuo Xiao, Xingzhu Wang, Bin Zhang, Liming Ding
2021, 42(6): 060501. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/42/6/060501