FinFET-Based Flex-Vth SRAM Design for Drastic Standby-Leakage-Current Reduction

Shin-ichi O'UCHI; Meishoku MASAHARA; Kazuhiko ENDO; Yongxun LIU; Takashi MATSUKAWA; Kunihiro SAKAMOTO; Toshihiro SEKIGAWA; Hanpei KOIKE; Eiichi SUZUKI

doi:10.1093/ietele/e91-c.4.534

Special Section on Advanced Technologies in Digital LSIs and Memories

FinFET-Based Flex-Vth SRAM Design for Drastic Standby-Leakage-Current Reduction

Shin-ichi O'UCHI, Meishoku MASAHARA, Kazuhiko ENDO, Yongxun LIU, Takashi MATSUKAWA, Kunihiro SAKAMOTO, Toshihiro SEKIGAWA, Hanpei KOIKE, Eiichi SUZUKI

Author information

Shin-ichi O'UCHI
Nanoelectronices Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
Meishoku MASAHARA
Nanoelectronices Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
Kazuhiko ENDO
Nanoelectronices Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
Yongxun LIU
Nanoelectronices Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
Takashi MATSUKAWA
Nanoelectronices Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
Kunihiro SAKAMOTO
Nanoelectronices Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
Toshihiro SEKIGAWA
Nanoelectronices Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers
Hanpei KOIKE
Nanoelectronices Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
Eiichi SUZUKI
Nanoelectronices Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST)
The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers

Keywords: SRAM, FinFET, 4T-FinFET, standby power, dynamic threshold-voltage control

JOURNAL RESTRICTED ACCESS

2008 Volume E91.C Issue 4 Pages 534-542

DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/ietele/e91-c.4.534

Details

Abstract

Aiming at drastically reducing standby leakage current, an SRAM using Four-Terminal- (4T-) FinFETs, named Flex-Vth SRAM, with a dynamic row-by-row threshold voltage control (RRTC) was developed. The Flex-Vth SRAM realizes an extremely low standby-leakage current thanks to the flexible threshold-voltage (Vth) controllability of the 4T-FinFETs, while its access speed and static noise margin (SNM) are maintained. A TCAD-based Monte Carlo simulation indicates that even when the process-induced random variation in the device performance is taken into account, the Flex-Vth SRAM reduces the leakage current to 1/100 of that of a standard SRAM in a 256×256 array, where 20-nm-gate-length technologies with the same on-current are assumed.

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