石墨烯与金属的欧姆接触理论研究

石墨烯材料应用于多种电子器件时不可避免地要与金属电极接触,它们之间的接触电阻直接影响了器件的性能.为了揭示影响金属电极与石墨烯间接触电阻的因素,提出有效地抑制这些影响的措施,本文建立了一种求解接触电阻的物理模型,将载流子的输运分为金属与正下方石墨烯之间、正下方石墨烯与邻近石墨烯之间的两个过程,分别研究各个过程的输运概率;结合金属电极与石墨烯接触对载流子分布的影响分析接触电阻,据此分别探讨了金属电极材料、栅极电压、掺杂浓度、金属与石墨烯原子距离等对接触电阻的影响.为验证理论分析结果的正确性,制作了金与石墨烯接触的实验样品,实验测得的接触电阻与理论分析结果符合.理论分析结果表明,可通过选择与石墨烯功函数接近的金属材料,降低二氧化硅层厚度,增加载流子平均自由程,改进金属材料的表面形态使其更光滑,减小金属与石墨烯耦合长度等方法降低石墨烯与金属电极的接触电阻.     

Integrating functional oxides with graphene

Graphene–oxide hybrid structures offer the opportunity to combine the versatile functionalities of oxides with the excellent electronic transport in graphene. Understanding and controlling how the dielectric environment affects the intrinsic properties of graphene is also critical to fundamental studies and technological development of graphene. Here we review our recent effort on understanding the transport properties of graphene interfaced with ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ (PZT) and high-κ HfO₂. Graphene field effect devices prepared on high-quality single crystal PZT substrates exhibit up to tenfold increases in mobility compared to SiO₂-gated devices. An unusual and robust resistance hysteresis is observed in these samples, which is attributed to the complex surface chemistry of the ferroelectric. Surface polar optical phonons of oxides in graphene transistors play an important role in the device performance. We review their effects on mobility and the high source-drain bias saturation current of graphene, which are crucial for developing graphene-based room temperature high-speed amplifiers. Oxides also introduce scattering sources that limit the low temperature electron mobility in graphene. We present a comprehensive study of the transport and quantum scattering times to differentiate various scattering scenarios and quantitatively evaluate the density and distribution of charged impurities and the effect of dielectric screening. Our results can facilitate the design of multifunctional nano-devices utilizing graphene–oxide hybrid structures.     

基于石墨烯电极的蒽醌分子器件开关特性

研究了基于石墨烯电极的蒽醌分子器件的开关特性.分别选取了锯齿型和扶手椅型的石墨烯纳米带作为电极,考虑蒽醌基团在氧化还原反应下的两种构型,即氢醌(HQ)分子和蒽醌(AQ)分子,构建了双电极分子结,讨论了氧化还原反应和不同的电极结构对蒽醌分子器件开关特性的影响.研究发现,无论是锯齿型石墨烯电极还是扶手椅型石墨烯电极,HQ构型的电流都明显大于AQ构型的电流,即在氧化还原反应下蒽醌分子呈现出显著的开关特性.同时,当选用锯齿型石墨烯电极时其开关比最高能达到3125,选用扶手椅型石墨烯电极时开关比最高能达到1538.此外,当HQ构型以扶手椅型石墨烯为电极时,在0.7-0.75 V之间表现出明显的负微分电阻效应.因此该系统在未来分子开关器件领域具有潜在的应用价值.     

Step-by-step implementation of an amplifier circuit with a graphene field-effect transistor on a printed-circuit board

Power amplifier circuits are implemented with graphene field-effect transistors (FETs), capacitors and inductors, and their gain is improved step-by-step by adjusting the passive components. The transistors are fabricated on a 150-mm wafer using conventional complementary-metal-oxide semiconductor processing along with graphene transferring processes. The completed circuit is implemented on a printed circuit board, which allows for adjustment of the external capacitance and inductance to study the performance of graphene RF FETs. A maximum signal gain of 1.3 dB is achieved at 380 MHz. The device parameters of the transistors are then extracted and the gain is analyzed, and the results show that lowering the source–drain conductance and gate resistance is the key in realizing high performance circuits.     

Electromagnetic-field-induced suppression of transport through n-p junctions in graphene

We study electronic transport through an n-p junction in graphene irradiated by an electromagnetic field (EF). In the absence of EF one may expect the perfect transmission of quasiparticles flowing perpendicular to the junction. We show that the resonant interaction of propagating quasiparticles with the EF induces a dynamic gap between electron and hole bands in the quasiparticle spectrum of graphene. In this case the strongly suppressed quasiparticle transmission is only possible due to interband tunneling. The effect may be used to control transport properties of diverse structures in graphene, e.g., n-p-n transistors and quantum dots, by variation of the intensity and frequency of the external radiation.     

Transport in graphene nanostructures

Graphene nanostructures are promising candidates for future nanoelectronics and solid-state quantum information technology. In this review we provide an overview of a number of electron transport experiments on etched graphene nanostructures. We briefly revisit the electronic properties and the transport characteristics of bulk, i.e., two-dimensional graphene. The fabrication techniques for making graphene nanostructures such as nanoribbons, single electron transistors and quantum dots, mainly based on a dry etching ??paper-cutting?? technique are discussed in detail. The limitations of the current fabrication technology are discussed when we outline the quantum transport properties of the nanostructured devices. In particular we focus here on transport through graphene nanoribbons and constrictions, single electron transistors as well as on graphene quantum dots including double quantum dots. These quasi-one-dimensional (nanoribbons) and quasi-zero-dimensional (quantum dots) graphene nanostructures show a clear route of how to overcome the gapless nature of graphene allowing the confinement of individual carriers and their control by lateral graphene gates and charge detectors. In particular, we emphasize that graphene quantum dots and double quantum dots are very promising systems for spin-based solid state quantum computation, since they are believed to have exceptionally long spin coherence times due to weak spin-orbit coupling and weak hyperfine interaction in graphene.     

Comparing the weak and strong gate‐coupling regimes for nanotube and graphene transistors

We present an experimental and theoretical comparison of the weak and strong gate‐coupling regimes that arise for carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene field‐effect transistors (FETs) in back‐gated and liquid‐gated configuration, respectively. We find that whereas the back‐gate efficiency is suppressed for a liquid‐gated CNT FET, the back gate is still effective in case of a liquid‐gated graphene FET. We calculate the gate‐induced Fermi‐level shifts and induced charge densities. In both strong and weak coupling regimes, nonlinearities occur in the gate dependence of these parameters, which can significantly influence the electronic transport. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Depositing aluminum as sacrificial metal to reduce metal–graphene contact resistance

Reducing the contact resistance without degrading the mobility property is crucial to achieve high-performance graphene field effect transistors. Also, the idea of modifying the graphene surface by etching away the deposited metal provides a new angle to achieve this goal. We exploit this idea by providing a new process method which reduces the contact resistance from 597 ? ·μm to sub 200 ? ·μm while no degradation of mobility is observed in the devices. This simple process method avoids the drawbacks of uncontrollability, ineffectiveness, and trade-off with mobility which often exist in the previously proposed methods.     

石墨烯射频器件研究进展

石墨烯因具有优良的电学特性,在半导体行业中受到广泛关注,特别因其具有超薄的结构和极高的载流子迁移率,为解决短沟道效应提供了可能,并且在高速电子领域具有应用前景.近年来,使用石墨烯作为沟道材料制备射频晶体管及射频电路是发挥石墨烯材料优势的一个重要研究方向.制造高性能的射频器件,首先要制备出高性能的石墨烯材料.在金属衬底上沉积均匀的单层石墨烯材料或者在绝缘衬底上外延生长单层、双层石墨烯材料都是获得高质量石墨烯材料的常用方法.器件结构及工艺流程的设计也是提升晶体管射频性能的重要因素,多指栅结构、T型栅结构、埋栅结构以及自对准工艺的发展能够有效改善石墨烯射频晶体管的截止频率及最大振荡频率.石墨烯晶体管独特的电学特性使得其除了可以构造与其他半导体材料电路相似的射频电路结构,还可以构造出功能完整并且结构更加简单的新型射频电路结构.     

Silicene transistors——A review

Free standing silicene is a two-dimensional silicon monolayer with a buckled honeycomb lattice and a Dirac band structure. Ever since its first successful synthesis in the laboratory, silicene has been considered as an option for post-silicon electronics, as an alternative to graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Despite its theoretical high carrier mobility,the zero band gap characteristic makes pure silicene impossible to use directly as a field effect transistor(FET) operating at room temperature. Here, we first review the theoretical approaches to open a band gap in silicene without diminishing its excellent electronic properties and the corresponding simulations of silicene transistors based on an opened band gap.An all-metallic silicene FET without an opened band gap is also introduced. The two chief obstacles for realization of a silicene transistor are silicene's strong interaction with a metal template and its instability in air. In the final part, we briefly describe a recent experimental advance in fabrication of a proof-of-concept silicene device with Dirac ambipolar charge transport resembling a graphene FET, fabricated via a growth-transfer technique.     

Electronic properties of boron and nitrogen doped graphene nanoribbons and its application for graphene electronics

On the basis of density functional theory calculations, we have systematically investigated the electronic properties of armchair-edge graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) doped with boron (B) and nitrogen (N) atoms. B (N) atoms could effectively introduce holes (electrons) to GNRs and the system exhibits p- (n-) type semiconducting behavior after B (N) doping. According to the electronic structure calculations, Z-shape GNR-based field effect transistors (FETs) is constructed by selective doping with B or N atoms. Using first-principles quantum transport calculations, we demonstrate that the B-doped p-type GNR-FETs can exhibit high levels of performance, with high ON/OFF ratios and low subthreshold swing. Furthermore, the performance parameters of GNR-FETs could be controlled by the p-type semiconducting channel length.     

Magnetoresistance effect in vertical NiFe/graphene/NiFe junctions

For convenient and efficient verification of the magnetoresistance effect in graphene spintronic devices, vertical magnetic junctions with monolayer graphene sandwiched between two NiFe electrodes are fabricated by a relatively simple way of transferring CVD graphene onto the bottom ferromagnetic stripes. The anisotropic magnetoresistance contribution is excluded by the experimental result of magnetoresistance (MR) ratio dependence on the magnetic field direction. The spin-dependent transport measurement reveals two distinct resistance states switching under an in-plane sweeping magnetic field. A magnetoresistance ratio of about 0.17 % is obtained at room temperature and it shows a typical monotonic downward trend with the bias current increasing. This bias dependence of MR further verifies that the spin transport signal in our device is not from the anisotropic magnetoresistance. Meanwhile, the I—V curve is found to manifest a linear behavior, which demonstrates the Ohmic contacts at the interface and the metallic transport characteristic of vertical graphene junction.     

Transport measurements across a tunable potential barrier in graphene

The peculiar nature of electron scattering in graphene is among many exciting theoretical predictions for the physical properties of this material. To investigate electron scattering properties in a graphene plane, we have created a gate-tunable potential barrier within a single-layer graphene sheet. We report measurements of electrical transport across this structure as the tunable barrier potential is swept through a range of heights. When the barrier is sufficiently strong to form a bipolar junction (n-p-n or p-n-p) within the graphene sheet, the resistance across the barrier sharply increases. We compare these results to predictions for both diffusive and ballistic transport, as the barrier rises on a length scale comparable to the mean free path. Finally, we show how a magnetic field modifies transport across the barrier.     

顶栅石墨烯离子敏场效应管的表征及其初步应用

传统的液栅型石墨烯场效应管虽然灵敏度高, 但是石墨烯沟道极易被污染, 致使器件的稳定性减小, 不能被重复利用. 为此, 我们设计制造了一种顶栅石墨烯离子敏场效应管, 以化学气相沉积生长的石墨烯为沟道, 通过原子层沉积在石墨烯表面沉积绝缘层HfO₂/Al₂O₃, 其中Al₂O₃作为敏感膜, HfO₂/Al₂O₃作为石墨烯及电极的保护膜. 经过一系列的电学表征和测试发现, 相较于液栅型石墨烯场效应管, 顶栅石墨烯场效应管具有更高的信噪比、更好的稳定性. 为了利用顶栅石墨烯进行生物分子的检测, 我们将单链DNA修饰在Al₂O₃表面, 成功检测到了修饰DNA前后的信号差异, 并结合荧光修饰的表征验证了顶栅石墨烯场效应管用于生物传感器的可行性.     

Graphene field-effect transistors with ferroelectric gating

Recent experiments on ferroelectric gating have introduced a novel functionality, i.e., nonvolatility, in graphene field-effect transistors. A comprehensive understanding in the nonlinear, hysteretic ferroelectric gating and an effective way to control it are still absent. In this Letter, we quantitatively characterize the hysteretic ferroelectric gating using the reference of an independent background doping (n(BG)) provided by normal dielectric gating. More importantly, we prove that n(BG) can be used to control the ferroelectric gating by unidirectionally shifting the hysteretic ferroelectric doping in graphene. Utilizing this electrostatic effect, we demonstrate symmetrical bit writing in graphene-ferroelectric field-effect transistors with resistance change over 500% and reproducible no-volatile switching over 10? cycles.     

Thermal transport in phosphorene and phosphorene-based materials: A review on numerical studies

The recently discovered two-dimensional(2D) layered material phosphorene has attracted considerable interest as a promising p-type semiconducting material. In this article, we review the recent advances in numerical studies of the thermal properties of monolayer phosphorene and phosphorene-based heterostructures. We first briefly review the commonly used first-principles and molecular dynamics(MD) approaches to evaluate the thermal conductivity and interfacial thermal resistance of 2D phosphorene. Principles of different steady-state and transient MD techniques have been elaborated on in detail. Next, we discuss the anisotropic thermal transport of phosphorene in zigzag and armchair chiral directions. Subsequently, the in-plane and cross-plane thermal transport in phosphorene-based heterostructures such as phosphorene/silicon and phosphorene/graphene is summarized. Finally, the numerical research in the field of thermal transport in 2D phosphorene is highlighted along with our perspective of potentials and opportunities of 2D phosphorenes in electronic applications such as photodetectors, field-effect transistors, lithium ion batteries, sodium ion batteries, and thermoelectric devices.     

Effect of electrical contact on performance of WSe2 field effect transistors

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) such as tungsten diselenide (WSe₂) have spead many interesting physical properties, which may become ideal candidates to develop new generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. In order to reveal essential features of 2D TMDCs, it is necessary to fabricate high-quality devices with reliable electrical contact. We systematically analyze the effect of graphene and metal contacts on performance of multi-layered WSe₂ field effect transistors (FETs). The temperature-dependent transport characteristics of both devices are tested. Only graphene-contacted WSe₂ FETs are observed with the metal-insulator transition phenomenon which mainly attributes to the ultra-clean contact interface and lowered contact barrier. Further characterization on contact barrier demonstrates that graphene contact enables lower contact barrier with WSe₂ than metal contact, since the Fermi level of graphene can be modulated by the gate bias to match the Fermi level of the channel material. We also analyze the carrier mobility of both devices under different temperatures, revealing that graphene contact can reduce the charge scattering of the device caused by ionized impurities and phonon vibrations in low and room temperature regions, respectively. This work is expected to provide reference for fabricating 2D material devices with decent performances.     

Self-Consistent Study of Conjugated Aromatic Molecular Transistors

We study the current through conjugated aromatic molecular transistors modulated by a transverse field. The selfconsistent calculation is realized with density function theory through the standard quantum chemistry software Gaussian03 and the non-equilibrium Green＇s function formalism. The calculated I - V curves controlled by the transverse field present the characteristics of different organic molecular transistors, the transverse field effect of which is improved by the substitutions of nitrogen atoms or fluorine atoms. On the other hand, the asymmetry of molecular configurations to the axis connecting two sulfur atoms is in favor of realizing the transverse field modulation. Suitably designed conjugated aromatic molecular transistors possess different I - V characteristics, some of them are similar to those of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors （MOSFET）. Some of the calculated molecular devices may work as elements in graphene electronics. Our results present the richness and flexibility of molecular transistors, which describe the colorful prospect of next generation devices.     

离子凝胶薄膜栅介石墨烯场效应管

在石墨烯场效应晶体管栅介结构中引入具有良好电容特性或极化特性的材料可改善晶体管性能.本文采用化学气相沉积制备的石墨烯并以PVDF-[EMIM]TF2N离子凝胶薄膜(ion-gel film)作为介质层制备底栅型石墨烯场效应管(graphene-based field effect transistor, GFET),研究其电学特性以及真空环境和温度对GFET性能的影响.结果表明离子凝胶薄膜栅介石墨烯场效应晶体管表现出良好的电学特性,室温空气环境中,与SiO_2栅介GFET相比, ion-gel膜栅介GFET开关比(J_(on)/J_(off))和跨导(g_m)分别提高至6.95和3.68×10~(–2) mS,而狄拉克电压(V_(Dirac))低至1.3 V;真空环境下ion-gel膜栅介GFET狄拉克电压最低可降至0.4 V;随着温度的升高, GFET的跨导最高可提升至6.11×10~(–2) mS.