Systematic modulation of negative-differential transconductance effects for gated p-i-n silicon ultra-thin body transistor

We demonstrate the precise control of the negative-differential transconductance (NDT) effects on a gated p-i-n Si ultra-thin body transistor. The device clearly displays the N-shape transfer characteristic (i.e., NDT effect) at room temperature, and the NDT behavior is fully based on the gate-modulation of the electrostatic junction characteristics. The position and the current level of the peak in the NDT region are systematically controllable when modulating the potential profile at the channel-source junction. Namely, the NDT effect can be systematically modulated through modifying the band-to-band tunneling condition by controlling both gate- and drain-bias voltages. In-depth analyses on the transport characteristics and transport mechanisms are discussed.