ABSTRACT
Relentless downsizing of conventional Si-MOSFET technology for the past 60 years has resulted in ever-increasing transistor performance and IC density, although problems like reduced gate control, increased mobility degradation etc., crept in more. To address the problem, research has progressed through newer materials and new device architectures with time. Parallel research efforts on improvised channel materials and transistor architecture research started in the 1970s in order to cater to both high-speed and low-power circuits with a smaller size as well as growing applications of photovoltaics and optoelectronics. With the carrier mobility varying inversely with the effective mass, a higher drive current can be generated if the silicon in the channel is replaced by low-effective-mass materials, which can be synthesized and integrated into the existing silicon technology easily. Among such wonder materials, III-V compounds are right now probably one of the most sought-after topics in electronic material research around the globe.
