We improvise a novel approach to carry out first-principles simulations of graphene-based vertical field effect tunneling transistors that consist of a graphene$|${\it h}-BN$|$graphene multilayer structure. Within the density functional theory framework, we exploit the effective screening medium (ESM) method to properly treat boundary conditions for electrostatic potentials and investigate the effect of gate voltage. The distribution of free carriers and the band structure of both top and bottom graphene layers are calculated self-consistently. The dielectric properties of {\it h}-BN thin films sandwiched between graphene layers are computed layer-by-layer following the theory of microscopic permittivity. We find that the permittivities of BN layers are very close to that of crystalline {\it h}-BN. The effect of interface with graphene on the dielectric properties of {\it h}-BN is weak, according to an analysis on the interface charge redistribution.
Graphene nanoribbon (GNR) field-effect transistors (FETs) with widths down to 12 nm have been fabricated by electron beam lithography using a wafer-scale chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to form the graphene. The GNR FETs show drain-current modulation of approximately 10 at 300 K, increasing to nearly 106 at 4 K. The strong temperature dependence of the minimum current indicates the opening of a bandgap for CVD-grown GNR-FETs. The extracted bandgap is estimated to be around 0.1 eV by differential conductance methods. This work highlights the development of CVD-grown large-area graphene …
It is promising to apply quantum-mechanically confined graphene systems in field-effect transistors. High stability, superior performance, and large-scale integration are the main challenges facing the practical application of graphene transistors. Our understandings of the adatom-graphene interaction combined with recent progress in the nanofabrication technology indicate that very stable and high-quality graphene nanostripes could be integrated in substrate-supported functionalized (hydrogenated or fluorinated) graphene using electron-beam lithography. We also propose that parallelizing a co…
Fabrication of graphene field effect transistor is described which uses an intrinsic graphene on the surface of as deposited hydrogenated amorphous carbon films. Ambipolar characteristic has been demonstrated typical for graphene devices, which changes to unipolar characteristic if the surface graphene was etched in oxygen plasma. Because amorphous carbon films can be growth easily, with unlimited dimensions and no transfer of graphene is necessary, this can open new perspective for graphene electronics.
We have fabricated transistor structures using fluorinated single-layer graphene flakes and studied their electronic properties at different temperatures. Compared with pristine graphene, fluorinated graphene has very large and strongly temperature dependent resistance in the electro-neutrality region. We show that fluorination creates a mobility gap in graphene's spectrum where electron transport takes place via localised electron states.
We experimentally demonstrate DC functionality of graphene-based hot electron transistors, which we call Graphene Base Transistors (GBT). The fabrication scheme is potentially compatible with silicon technology and can be carried out at the wafer scale with standard silicon technology. The state of the GBTs can be switched by a potential applied to the transistor base, which is made of graphene. Transfer characteristics of the GBTs show ON/OFF current ratios exceeding 50.000.
In this work, double-gated field effect transistors manufactured from monolayer graphene are investigated. Conventional top-down CMOS-compatible processes are applied except for graphene deposition by manual exfoliation. Carrier mobilities in single- and double gated graphene field effect transistors are compared. Even in double-gated graphene FETs, the carrier mobility exceeds the universal mobility of silicon over nearly the entire measured range. At comparable dimensions, reported mobilities for ultra thin body silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs can not compete with graphene FET values.
The past decade has seen rapid growth in the research area of graphene and its application to novel electronics. With Moore's law beginning to plateau, the need for post-silicon technology in industry is becoming more apparent. Moreover, existing technology is insufficient for implementing terahertz detectors and receivers, which are required for a number of applications including medical imaging and security scanning. Graphene is considered to be a key potential candidate for replacing silicon in existing CMOS technology as well as realizing field effect transistors for terahertz detection, d…
With the motivation of improving the performance and reliability of aggressively scaled nano-patterned graphene field-effect transistors, we present the first systematic experimental study on charge and current distribution in multilayer graphene field-effect transistors. We find a very particular thickness dependence for Ion, Ioff, and the Ion/Ioff ratio, and propose a resistor network model including screening and interlayer coupling to explain the experimental findings. In particular, our model does not invoke modification of the linear energy-band structure of graphene for the multilayer c…
We utilize an organic polymer buffer layer between graphene and conventional gate dielectrics in top-gated graphene transistors. Unlike other insulators, this dielectric stack does not significantly degrade carrier mobility, allowing for high field-effect mobilities to be retained in top-gate operation. This is demonstrated in both two-point and four-point analysis, and in the high-frequency operation of a graphene transistor. Temperature dependence of the carrier mobility suggests that phonons are the dominant scatterers in these devices.
The maximum oscillation frequency (fmax) quantifies the practical upper bound for useful circuit operation. We report here an fmax of 70 GHz in transistors using epitaxial graphene grown on the C-face of SiC. This is a significant improvement over Si-face epitaxial graphene used in the prior high frequency transistor studies, exemplifying the superior electronics potential of C-face epitaxial graphene. Careful transistor design using a high κ dielectric T-gate and self-aligned contacts, further contributed to the record-breaking fmax.
There is a wide range of science and applications accessible via the strain engineering of quantum transport in 2D materials. We propose a realistic experimental platform for uniaxial strain engineering of ballistic charge transport in graphene. We then develop an applied theoretical model, based on this platform, to calculate charge conductivity and demonstrate graphene quantum strain transistors (GQSTs). We define GQSTs as mechanically strained ballistic graphene transistors with on/off conductivity ratios $> 10^{4}$, and which can be operated via modest gate voltages. Such devices would per…
Bilayer graphene is a promising material for radio-frequency transistors because its energy gap might result in a better current saturation than the monolayer graphene. Because the great deal of interest in this technology, especially for flexible radio-frequency applications, gaining control of it requires the formulation of appropriate models for the drain current, charge and capacitance. In this work we have developed them for a dual-gated bilayer graphene field-effect transistor. A drift-diffusion mechanism for the carrier transport has been considered coupled with an appropriate field-eff…
We demonstrate graphene thickness-graded transistors with high electron mobility and low 1/f noise (f is a frequency). The device channel is implemented with few-layer graphene with the thickness varied from a single layer in the middle to few-layers at the source and drain contacts. It was found that such devices have electron mobility comparable to the reference single-layer graphene devices while producing lower noise levels. The metal doping of graphene and difference in the electron density of states between the single-layer and few-layer graphene cause the observed noise reduction. The r…
The speed of silicon-based transistors has reached an impasse in the recent decade, primarily due to scaling techniques and the short-channel effect. Conversely, graphene (a revolutionary new material possessing an atomic thickness) has been shown to exhibit a promising value for electrical conductivity. Graphene would thus appear to alleviate some of the drawbacks associated with silicon-based transistors. It is for this reason why such a material is considered one of the most prominent candidates to replace silicon within nano-scale transistors. The major crux here, is that graphene is intri…
We present a novel, graphene-based device concept for high-frequency operation: a hot electron graphene base transistor (GBT). Simulations show that GBTs have high current on/off ratios and high current gain. Simulations and small-signal models indicate that it potentially allows THz operation. Based on energy band considerations we propose a specific materials solution that is compatible with SiGe process lines.
Graphene/silicon heterostructures have attracted tremendous interest as a new platform for diverse electronic and photonic devices such as barristors, solar cells, optical modulators, and chemical sensors. The studies to date largely focus on junctions between graphene and lightly-doped silicon, where a Schottky barrier is believed to dominate the carrier transport process. Here we report a systematic investigation of carrier transport across the heterojunctions formed between graphene and highly-doped silicon. By varying the silicon doping level and the measurement temperature, we show that t…
We discuss the origin of an additional dip other than the charge neutrality point observed in transfer characteristics of graphene-based field-effect transistors. The double-dip is proved to arise from charge transfer between graphene and metal electrodes, while charge storage at the graphene/SiO2 interface enhances it. Considering different Fermi energy from the neutrality point along the channel and partial charge pinning at the contacts, we propose a model which explains all features in gate voltage loops.
We use simulations to examine current saturation in sub-micron graphene transistors on SiO2/Si. We find self-heating is partly responsible for current saturation (lower output conductance), but degrades current densities >1 mA/um by up to 15%. Heating effects are reduced if the supporting insulator is thinned, or in shorter channel devices by partial heat sinking at the contacts. The transient behavior of such devices has thermal time constants of ~30-300 ns, dominated by the thickness of the supporting insulator and that of device capping layers (a behavior also expected in ultrathin body SOI…
We report a bipolar field effect tunneling transistor that exploits to advantage the low density of states in graphene and its one atomic layer thickness. Our proof-of-concept devices are graphene heterostructures with atomically thin boron nitride acting as a tunnel barrier. They exhibit room temperature switching ratios ~50, a value that can be enhanced further by optimizing the device structure. These devices have potential for high frequency operation and large scale integration.
We report results of experimental investigation of the low-frequency noise in the top-gate graphene transistors. The back-gate graphene devices were modified via addition of the top gate separated by 20 nm of HfO2 from the single-layer graphene channels. The measurements revealed low flicker noise levels with the normalized noise spectral density close to 1/f (f is the frequency) and Hooge parameter below 2 x 10^-3. The analysis of the noise spectral density dependence on the top and bottom gate biases helped us to elucidate the noise sources in these devices and develop a strategy for the ele…
The performance of graphene-based transistors is often limited by the large electrical resistance across the metal-graphene contact. We report an approach to achieve ultra-low resistance metal contacts to graphene transistors. Through a process of metal-catalyzed etching in hydrogen, multiple nano-sized pits with zigzag edges are created in the graphene that form strong chemical bonds with deposited nickel metallization for source-drain contacts without the need for further annealing. This facile contact treatment prior to electrode metallization results in contact resistance as low as 100 ohm…
The field-effect mobility of graphene devices is discussed. We argue that the graphene ballistic mean free path can only be extracted by taking into account both, the electrical characteristics and the channel length dependent mobility. In doing so we find a ballistic mean free path of 300nm at room-temperature for a carrier concentration of ~1e12/cm2 and that a substantial series resistance of around 300ohmum has to be taken into account. Furthermore, we demonstrate first quantum capacitance measurements on single-layer graphene devices.
The influence of edge vacancies on the working ability of the planar graphene tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) is studied at various concentrations and distributions (normal, uniform, periodic) of defects. All calculations are performed by using the Green's function method and the tight-binding approximation. It is shown that the transistor performance depends critically on two important factors associated with the defects: the destruction of the edge-localized electronic states and the emergence of subpeaks near the Fermi level. The supportable operation conditions of the TFET are found …
Top-gated, few-layer graphene field-effect transistors (FETs) fabricated on thermally-decomposed semi-insulating 4H-SiC substrates are demonstrated. Physical vapor deposited SiO2 is used as the gate dielectric. A two-dimensional hexagonal arrangement of carbon atoms with the correct lattice vectors, observed by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy, confirms the formation of multiple graphene layers on top of the SiC substrates. The observation of n-type and p-type transition further verifies Dirac Fermions unique transport properties in graphene layers. The measured electron and hole …
The performance of field effect transistors based on an single graphene ribbon with a constriction and a single back gate are studied with the help of atomistic models. It is shown how this scheme, unlike that of traditional carbon-nanotube-based transistors, reduces the importance of the specifics of the chemical bonding to the metallic electrodes in favor of the carbon-based part of device. The ultimate performance limits are here studied for various constriction and metal-ribbon contact models. In particular we show that, even for poorly contacting metals, properly taylored constrictions ca…
We observe very small gate-voltage shifts in the transfer characteristic of as-prepared graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) when the pH of the buffer is changed. This observation is in strong contrast to Si-based ion-sensitive FETs. The low gate-shift of a GFET can be further reduced if the graphene surface is covered with a hydrophobic fluorobenzene layer. If a thin Al-oxide layer is applied instead, the opposite happens. This suggests that clean graphene does not sense the chemical potential of protons. A GFET can therefore be used as a reference electrode in an aqueous electrolyte. Ou…
The gate-voltage (VG) dependence of the contact resistance (RC) in graphene field-effect transistors is characterized by the transmission line model. The RC-VG characteristics of Ag, Cu, and Au contacts display a dip around the charge neutrality point, and become even negative with Ag contacts. The dip structure is well reproduced by a model calculation that considers a metal-contact-induced potential variation near the metal contact edges. The apparently negative RC originates with the carrier doping from the metal contacts to the graphene channel and appears when the doping effect is more su…
We demonstrate a graphene-MoS2 architecture integrating multiple field-effect transistors and we independently probe and correlate the conducting properties of van der Waals coupled graphene-MoS2 contacts with the ones of the MoS2 channels. Devices are fabricated starting from high-quality single-crystal monolayers grown by chemical vapor deposition and characterized by scanning Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Transconductance curves of MoS2 are compared with the current-voltage characteristics of graphene contact stripes, revealing a significant suppression of transport on the n-s…
For the first time, n-type few-layer MoS2 field-effect transistors with graphene/Ti as the hetero-contacts have been fabricated, showing more than 160 mA/mm drain current at 1 μm gate length with an on-off current ratio of 107. The enhanced electrical characteristic is confirmed in a nearly 2.1 times improvement in on-resistance and a 3.3 times improvement in contact resistance with hetero-contacts compared to the MoS2 FETs without graphene contact layer. Temperature dependent study on MoS2/graphene hetero-contacts has been also performed, still unveiling its Schottky contact nature. Transfer …
Results of quantum mechanical simulations of the influence of edge disorder on transport in graphene nanoribbon metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) are reported. The addition of edge disorder significantly reduces ON-state currents and increases OFF-state currents, and introduces wide variability across devices. These effects decrease as ribbon widths increase and as edges become smoother. However the bandgap decreases with increasing width, thereby increasing the band-to-band tunneling mediated subthreshold leakage current even with perfect nanoribbons. These results …
We show that vapors of different chemicals produce distinguishably different effects on the low-frequency noise spectra of graphene. It was found in a systematic study that some gases change the electrical resistance of graphene devices without changing their low-frequency noise spectra while other gases modify the noise spectra by inducing Lorentzian components with distinctive features. The characteristic frequency fc of the Lorentzian noise bulges in graphene devices is different for different chemicals and varies from fc=10 - 20 Hz to fc=1300 - 1600 Hz for tetrahydrofuran and chloroform va…
We have investigated low-frequency 1/f noise in the boron nitride - grapheme - boron nitride heterostructure field - effect transistors on Si/SiO2 substrates (f is a frequency). The device channel was implemented with a single layer graphene encased between two layers of hexagonal boron nitride. The transistors had the charge carrier mobility in the range from 30000 to 36000 cm2/Vs at room temperature. It was established that the noise spectral density normalized to the channel area in such devices can be suppressed to 5 x 10^-9 μm2 Hz^-1, which is a factor of x5 - x10 lower than that in non-e…
We have fabricated suspended few layer (1-3 layers) graphene nanoribbon field effect transistors from unzipped multiwall carbon nanotubes. Electrical transport measurements show that current-annealing effectively removes the impurities on the suspended graphene nanoribbons, uncovering the intrinsic ambipolar transfer characteristic of graphene. Further increasing the annealing current creates a narrow constriction in the ribbon, leading to the formation of a large band-gap and subsequent high on/off ratio (which can exceed 104). Such fabricated devices are thermally and mechanically stable: re…
Graphene is considered to be a promising candidate for future nano-electronics due to its exceptional electronic properties. Unfortunately, the graphene field-effect-transistors (FETs) cannot be turned off effectively due to the absence of a bandgap, leading to an on/off current ratio typically around 5 in top-gated graphene FETs. On the other hand, theoretical investigations and optical measurements suggest that a bandgap up to a few hundred meV can be created by the perpendicular E-field in bi-layer graphenes. Although previous carrier transport measurements in bi-layer graphene transistors …
We study the contact resistance and the transfer characteristics of back-gated field effect transistors of mono- and bi-layer graphene. We measure specific contact resistivity of ~7kohm*um2 and ~30kohm*um2 for Ni and Ti, respectively. We show that the contact resistance is a significant contributor to the total source-to-drain resistance and it is modulated by the back-gate voltage. We measure transfer characteristics showing double dip feature that we explain as the effect of doping due to charge transfer from the contacts causing minimum density of states for graphene under the contacts and …
We fabricate and characterize dual-gated graphene field-effect transistors (FETs) using Al2O3 as top-gate dielectric. We use a thin Al film as a nucleation layer to enable the atomic layer deposition of Al2O3. Our devices show mobility values of over 8,000 cm2/Vs at room temperature, a finding which indicates that the top-gate stack does not significantly increase the carrier scattering, and consequently degrade the device characteristics. We propose a device model to fit the experimental data using a single mobility value.
We measure the channel potential of a graphene transistor using a scanning photocurrent imaging technique. We show that at a certain gate bias, the impact of the metal on the channel potential profile extends into the channel for more than 1/3 of the total channel length from both source and drain sides, hence most of the channel is affected by the metal. The potential barrier between the metal controlled graphene and bulk graphene channel is also measured at various gate biases. As the gate bias exceeds the Dirac point voltage, VDirac, the original p-type graphene channel turns into a p-n-p c…
We have fabricated n-layer graphene field effect transistors on epitaxial ferroelectric Pb(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O_3 (PZT) thin films. At low gate voltages, PZT behaves as a high-k dielectric with k up to 100. An unusual resistance hysteresis occurs in gate sweeps at high voltages, with its direction opposite to that expected from the polarization switching of PZT. The relaxation of the metastable state is thermally activated, with an activation barrier of 50-110 meV and a time constant of 6 hours at 300 K. We attribute its origin to the slow dissociation/recombination dynamics of water molecules adsor…
Bottom-up assembled nanomaterials and nanostructures allow for the studies of rich and unprecedented quantum-related and mesoscopic transport phenomena. However, it can be difficult to quantify the correlations between the geometrical or structural parameters obtained from advanced microscopy and measured electrical characteristics when they are made into macroscopic devices. Here, we propose a strategy to connect the nanomaterial morphologies and the device performance through a Monte Carlo device model and apply it to understand the scaling trends of bottom-up synthesized armchair graphene n…
We report a method of fabricating self-aligned, top-gated graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) employing polyethyleneimine spin-on-doped source/drain access regions, resulting in a 2X reduction of access resistance and a 2.5X improvement in device electrical characteristics, over undoped devices. The GFETs on Si/SiO$_2$ substrates have high carrier mobilities of up to 6,300 cm$^2$/Vs. Self-aligned spin-on-doping is applicable to GFETs on arbitrary substrates, as demonstrated by a 3X enhancement in performance for GFETs on insulating quartz substrates, which are better suited for radio fre…
We study the effects of low-energy electron beam irradiation up to 10 keV on graphene based field effect transistors. We fabricate metallic bilayer electrodes to contact mono- and bi-layer graphene flakes on SiO$_2$, obtaining specific contact resistivity $ρ_c \simeq 19 kΩμm^2$ and carrier mobility as high as 4000 cm$^2$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$. By using a highly doped p-Si/SiO$_2$ substrate as back gate, we analyze the transport properties of the device and the dependence on the pressure and on the electron bombardment. We demonstrate that low energy irradiation is detrimental on the transistor curre…
In this article, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a triple-mode single-transistor graphene amplifier utilizing a three-terminal back-gated single-layer graphene transistor. The ambipolar nature of electronic transport in graphene transistors leads to increased amplifier functionality as compared to amplifiers built with unipolar semiconductor devices. The ambipolar graphene transistors can be configured as n-type, p-type, or hybrid-type by changing the gate bias. As a result, the single-transistor graphene amplifier can operate in the common-source, common-drain, or frequency multipli…
We measure the temperature distribution in a biased single-layer graphene transistor using Raman scattering microscopy of the 2D-phonon band. Peak operating temperatures of 1050 K are reached in the middle of the graphene sheet at 210 KW cm^(-2) of dissipated electric power. The metallic contacts act as heat sinks, but not in a dominant fashion. To explain the observed temperature profile and heating rate, we have to include heat-flow from the graphene to the gate oxide underneath, especially at elevated temperatures, where the graphene thermal conductivity is lowered due to umklapp scattering…
We present the results of the experimental investigation of the low - frequency noise in bilayer graphene transistors. The back - gated devices were fabricated using the electron beam lithography and evaporation. The charge neutrality point for the fabricated transistors was around 10 V. The noise spectra at frequencies above 10 - 100 Hz were of the 1/f - type with the spectral density on the order of 10E-23 - 10E-22 A2/Hz at the frequency of 1 kHz. The deviation from the 1/f spectrum at the frequencies below 10 -100 Hz indicates that the noise is of the carrier - number fluctuation origin due…
We extract experimentally the electronic thermal conductivity, $K_{e}$, in suspended graphene which we dope using a back-gate electrode. We make use of two-point dc electron transport at low bias voltages and intermediate temperatures (50 - 160 K), where the electron and lattice temperatures are decoupled. The thermal conductivity is proportional to the charge conductivity times the temperature, confirming that the Wiedemann-Franz relation is obeyed in suspended graphene. We extract an estimate of the Lorenz coefficient as 1.1 to 1.7 $\times 10^{-8}$ W $Ω$K$^{-2}$. $K_e$ shows a transistor eff…
We report a method to pattern monolayer graphene nanoconstriction field effect transistors (NCFETs) with critical dimensions below 10 nm. NCFET fabrication is enabled by the use of feedback controlled electromigration (FCE) to form a constriction in a gold etch mask that is first patterned using conventional lithographic techniques. The use of FCE allows the etch mask to be patterned on size scales below the limit of conventional nanolithography. We observe the opening of a confinement-induced energy gap as the NCFET width is reduced, as evidenced by a sharp increase in the NCFET on/off ratio.…
This paper provides an overview on graphene solution-gated field effect transistors (SGFETs) and their applications in bioelectronics. The fabrication and characterization of arrays of graphene SGFETs is presented and discussed with respect to competing technologies. To obtain a better understanding of the working principle of solution-gated transistors, the graphene-electrolyte interface is discussed in detail. The in-vitro biocompatibility of graphene is assessed by primary neuron cultures. Finally, bioelectronic experiments with electrogenic cells are presented, confirming the suitability o…
High-performance graphene field-effect transistors have been fabricated on epitaxial graphene synthesized on a two-inch SiC wafer, achieving a cutoff frequency of 100 GHz for a gate length of 240 nm. The high-frequency performance of these epitaxial graphene transistors not only shows the highest speed for any graphene devices up to date, but it also exceeds that of Si MOSFETs at the same gate length. The result confirms the high potential of graphene for advanced electronics applications, marking an important milestone for carbon electronics.
An anomalous distortion is often observed in the transfer characteristics of graphene field-effect transistors. We fabricate graphene transistors with ferromagnetic metal electrodes, which reproducibly display distorted transfer characteristics, and show that the distortion is caused by metal-graphene contacts with no charge-density pinning effect. The pinning effect, where the gate voltage cannot tune the charge density of graphene at the metal electrodes, has been experimentally observed; however, a pinning-free interface is achieved with easily-oxidizable metals. The distortion should be a …
Graphene field-effect transistors with Co contacts as source and drain electrodes show anomalous distorted transfer characteristics. The anomaly appears only in short-channel devices (shorter than approximately 3 micrometers) and originates from a contact-induced effect. Band alteration of a graphene channel by the contacts is discussed as a possible mechanism for the anomalous characteristics observed.
We fabricated a large number of single and bilayer graphene transistors and carried out a systematic experimental study of their low-frequency noise characteristics. A special attention was given to determining the dominant noise sources in these devices and the effect of aging on the current-voltage and noise characteristics. The analysis of the noise spectral density dependence on the area of graphene channel showed that the dominant contributions to the low-frequency electronic noise come from the graphene layer itself rather than from the contacts. Aging of graphene transistors due to expo…
Using physical insights and advanced first-principles calculations, we suggest that corundum is an ideal gate dielectric material for graphene transistors. Clean interface exists between graphene and Al-terminated (or hydroxylated) Al2O3 and the valence band offsets for these systems are large enough to create injection barrier. Remarkably, a band gap of » 180 meV can be induced in graphene layer adsorbed on Al-terminated surface, which could realize large ON/OFF ratio and high carrier mobility in graphene transistors without additional band gap engineering and significant reduction of transpo…
In this paper we report: the use of GO in aqueous solution as a gate dielectric material, its application to a MOS transistor based on organic semiconductor and the use of paper as substrate material.
Top-gated graphene transistors operating at high frequencies (GHz) have been fabricated and their characteristics analyzed. The measured intrinsic current gain shows an ideal 1/f frequency dependence, indicating an FET-like behavior for graphene transistors. The cutoff frequency fT is found to be proportional to the dc transconductance gm of the device. The peak fT increases with a reduced gate length, and fT as high as 26 GHz is measured for a graphene transistor with a gate length of 150 nm. The work represents a significant step towards the realization of graphene-based electronics for high…
The unique property of bilayer graphene to show a band gap tunable by external electrical fields enables a variety of different device concepts with novel functionalities for electronic, optoelectronic and sensor applications. So far the operation of bilayer graphene based field effect transistors requires two individual gates to vary the channel's conductance and to create a band gap. In this paper we report on a method to increase the on/off ratio in single gated bilayer graphene field effect transistors by adsorbate doping. The adsorbate dopants on the upper side of the graphene establish a…
Three types of first generation epitaxial graphene field effect transistors (FET) are presented and their relative merits are discussed. Graphene is epitaxially grown on both the carbon and silicon faces of hexagonal silicon carbide and patterned with electron beam lithography. The channels have a Hall bar geometry to facilitate magnetoresistance measurements. FETs patterned on the Si-face exhibit off-to-on channel resistance ratios that exceed 30. C-face FETs have lower off-to-on resistance ratios, but their mobilities (up to 5000 cm2/Vs) are much larger than that for Si-face transistors. Ini…
In this work, we report on the electronic properties of solution-gated field effect transistors (SGFETs) fabricated using large-area graphene. Devices prepared both with epitaxially grown graphene on SiC as well as with chemical vapor deposition grown graphene on Cu exhibit high transconductances, which are a consequence of the high mobility of charge carriers in graphene and the large capacitance at the graphene/water interface. The performance of graphene SGFETs, in terms of gate sensitivity, is compared to other SGFET technologies and found to be clearly superior, confirming the potential o…
We investigate key electrical properties of monolayer graphene assembled by chemical-vapor-deposition (CVD) as impacted by supporting substrate material. Graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) were fabricated with carbon channel placing directly on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and SiO2, respectively. Small-signal transconductance (gm) and effective carrier mobility (μeff) are improved by 8.5 and 4 times on h-BN, respectively, as compared with that on SiO2. Compared with GFET with exfoliated graphene on SiO2, gm and μeff measured from device with CVD graphene on h-BN substrate exhibits com…
In this work, we propose a near-field radiative thermal transistor made of two graphene-covered silicon carbide (SiC) plates separated by a nanometer vacuum gap. Thick SiC plates serve as the thermal "source" and "drain", while graphene sheets function as the "gate" to modulate the near-field photon tunneling by tuning chemical potential with applied voltage biases symmetrically or asymmetrically. The radiative heat flux calculated from fluctuational electrodynamics significantly varies with graphene chemical potentials, which can tune the coupling between graphene plasmon across the vacuum ga…
Graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors (SGFETs) are a promising platform for the recording of cell action potentials due to the intrinsic high signal amplification of graphene transistors. In addition, graphene technology fulfils important key requirements for for in-vivo applications, such as biocompability, mechanical flexibility, as well as ease of high density integration. In this paper we demonstrate the fabrication of flexible arrays of graphene SGFETs on polyimide, a biocompatible polymeric substrate. We investigate the transistor's transconductance and intrinsic electronic no…
