Amirhasan Nourbakhsh

Bandgap opening in oxygen plasma-treated graphene

We report a change in the semimetallic nature of single-layer graphene after exposure to oxygen plasma. The resulting transition from semimetallic to semiconducting behavior appears to depend on the duration of the exposure to the plasma treatment. The observation is confirmed by electrical, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy measurements. We explain the opening of a bandgap in graphene in terms of functionalization of its pristine lattice with oxygen atoms. Ab initio calculations show more details about the interaction between carbon and oxygen atoms and the consequences on the optoelectronic properties, that is, on the extent of the bandgap opening upon increased functionalisation density.

Transport Properties of a MoS2/WSe2 Heterojunction Transistor and Its Potential for Application

This paper studies band-to-band tunneling in the transverse and lateral directions of van der Waals MoS2/WSe2 heterojunctions. We observe room-temperature negative differential resistance (NDR) in a heterojunction diode comprised of few-layer WSe2 stacked on multilayer MoS2. The presence of NDR is attributed to the lateral band-to-band tunneling at the edge of the MoS2/WSe2 heterojunction. The backward tunneling diode shows an average conductance slope of 75 mV/dec with a high curvature coefficient of 62 V(-1). Associated with the tunnel-diode characteristics, a positive-to-negative transconductance in the MoS2/WSe2 heterojunction transistors is observed. The transition is induced by strong interlayer coupling between the films, which results in charge density and energy-band modulation. The sign change in transconductance is particularly useful for multivalued logic (MVL) circuits, and we therefore propose and demonstrate for the first time an MVL-inverter that shows three levels of logic using one pair of p-type transistors.

Modified, semiconducting graphene in contact with a metal: Characterization of the Schottky diode

In this paper, we report the fabrication and characterization of Schottky rectifying junctions between semiconducting, modified single-layer graphene and a metal. The pristine, semimetallic behavior of graphene is altered by controlled exposure to an oxygen plasma, resulting in the opening of an optical band gap as shown by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The occurrence of a Schottky barrier between semiconducting graphene and metals with different work functions (Al, Cr, Pd, and Yb) is investigated by electrically characterizing the as-fabricated junctions. The rectifying properties of our Schottky diodes show the potential of semiconducting, modified graphene as building block of elementary logic circuits.

Hot Electron Transistor with van der Waals Base-Collector Heterojunction and High-Performance GaN Emitter

Single layer graphene is an ideal material for the base layer of hot electron transistors (HETs) for potential terahertz (THz) applications. The ultrathin body and exceptionally long mean free path maximizes the probability for ballistic transport across the base of the HET. We demonstrate for the first time the operation of a high-performance HET using a graphene/WSe2 van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure as a base-collector barrier. The resulting device with a GaN/AlN heterojunction as emitter, exhibits a current density of 50 A/cm2, direct current gain above 3 and 75% injection efficiency, which are record values among graphene-base HETs. These results not only provide a scheme to overcome the limitations of graphene-base HETs toward THz operation but are also the first demonstration of a GaN/vdW heterostructure in HETs, revealing the potential for novel electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Bilayer Graphene Tunneling FET for Sub-0.2 V Digital CMOS Logic Applications

We propose a bilayer graphene (BLG) tunneling field-effect-transistor (TFET) suitable for digital CMOS logic circuits. The ultimate performance limit of this structure is evaluated by solving the quantum transport equations in nonequilibrium Greens function framework. A bandgap opening is induced in BLG using both vertical electric field and top-bottom asymmetric chemical doping. To overcome the limitations of nonabrupt p-i-n junctions using practical process methods, source/drain regions are created using work-function engineered metal-graphene contacts. We evaluate the performance of BLG-TFET by taking doping gradient due to contact induced doping into account. Our BLG-TFET exhibits a subthreshold slope as low as 35 mV/dec, and ION/IOFF as high as 2910 for a supply voltage of 0.2 V. The proposed BLG-TFET shows promise for ultralow-power applications, particularly in low to medium speed applications.

Chemically enhanced double-gate bilayer graphene field-effect transistor with neutral channel for logic applications

In this article, we present the simulation, fabrication, and characterization of a novel bilayer graphene field-effect transistor exhibiting electron mobility up to ~1600 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), a room temperature I on/I off ≈ 60, and the lowest total charge (~10(11) cm(-2)) reported to date. This is achieved by combined electrostatic and chemical doping of bilayer graphene, which enables one to switch off the device at zero top-gate voltage. Using density functional theory and atomistic simulations, we obtain physical insight into the impact of chemical and electrostatic doping on bandgap opening of bilayer graphene and the effect of metal contacts on the operation of the device. Our results represent a step forward in the use of bilayer graphene for high-performance logic devices in the beyond-complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology paradigm.