Small-signal model for 2D-material based field-effect transistors targeting radio-frequency applications: the importance of considering non-reciprocal capacitances

A small-signal equivalent circuit of 2D-material based field-effect transistors is presented. Charge conservation and non-reciprocal capacitances have been assumed so the model can be used to make reliable predictions at both device and circuit levels. In this context, explicit and exact analytical expressions of the main radio-frequency figures of merit of these devices are given. Moreover, a direct parameter extraction methodology is provided based on S-parameter measurements. In addition to the intrinsic capacitances, transconductance and output conductance, our approach allows extracting the series combination of drain/source metal contact and access resistances. Accounting for these extrinsic resistances is of upmost importance when dealing with low dimensional field-effect transistors.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, 4 table

Velocity Saturation effect on Low Frequency Noise in short channel Single Layer Graphene FETs

Graphene devices for analog and RF applications are prone to Low Frequency Noise (LFN) due to its upconversion to undesired phase noise at higher frequencies. Such applications demand the use of short channel graphene transistors that operate at high electric fields in order to ensure a high speed. Electric field is inversely proportional to device length and proportional to channel potential so it gets maximized as the drain voltage increases and the transistor length shrinks. Under these conditions though, short channel effects like Velocity Saturation (VS) should be taken into account. Carrier number and mobility fluctuations have been proved to be the main sources that generate LFN in graphene devices. While their contribution to the bias dependence of LFN in long channels has been thoroughly investigated, the way in which VS phenomenon affects LFN in short channel devices under high drain voltage conditions has not been well understood. At low electric field operation, VS effect is negligible since carriers velocity is far away from being saturated. Under these conditions, LFN can be precicely predicted by a recently established physics-based analytical model. The present paper goes a step furher and proposes a new model which deals with the contribution of VS effect on LFN under high electric field conditions. The implemented model is validated with novel experimental data, published for the first time, from CVD grown back-gated single layer graphene transistors operating at gigahertz frequencies. The model accurately captures the reduction of LFN especially near charge neutrality point because of the effect of VS mechanism. Moreover, an analytical expression for the effect of contact resistance on LFN is derived. This contact resistance contribution is experimentally shown to be dominant at higher gate voltages and is accurately described by the proposed model.Comment: Main Manuscript:10 pages, 6 figure

Laterally Inhomogeneous Au Intercalation in Epitaxial Graphene on SiC(0 0 0 1): A Multimethod Electron Microscopy Study

Epitaxial graphene is of particular interest because of its tunable electronic structure. One important approach to tune the electronic properties of graphene relays on intercalating atomic species between graphene and the topmost silicon carbide layer. Here, we investigated the morphology and electronic structure of gold-intercalated epitaxial graphene using a multitechnique approach combining spectroscopic photoemission low-energy electron microscopy (SPELEEM) for chemical and structural characterization at mesoscopic length scale and with transmission electron microscopy (STEM) at the atomic level. Deposition of gold on ex situ prepared graphene on SiC(0 0 0 1) results in the partial intercalation of Au adatoms under graphene, with the formation of a buffer layer of variable thickness. Gold has also shown to aggregate in nanometer-sized clusters lying on top of the same graphene film. X-ray photo-emission electron microscopy measurements indicate that Au induces only small changes in the doping of the graphene layer, which does not develop a quasi free-standing behavior

Disorder-perturbed Landau levels in high electron mobility epitaxial graphene

We show that the Landau levels in epitaxial graphene in presence of localized defects are significantly modified compared to those of an ideal system. We report on magneto-spectroscopy experiments performed on high quality samples. Besides typical interband magneto-optical transitions, we clearly observe additional transitions that involve perturbed states associated to short-range impurities such as vacancies. Their intensity is found to decrease with an annealing process and a partial self-healing over time is observed. Calculations of the perturbed Landau levels by using a delta-like potential show electronic states both between and at the same energies of the Laudau levels of ideal graphene. The calculated absorption spectra involving all perturbed and unperturbed states are in very good agreement with the experiments

Low-frequency noise parameter extraction method for single layer graphene FETs

In this paper, a detailed parameter extraction methodology is proposed for low-frequency noise (LFN) in single layer (SL) graphene transistors (GFETs) based on a recently established compact LFN model. Drain current and LFN of two short channel back-gated GFETs (L=300, 100 nm) were measured at lower and higher drain voltages, for a wide range of gate voltages covering the region away from charge neutrality point (CNP) up to CNP at p-type operation region. Current-voltage (IV) and LFN data were also available from a long channel SL top solution-gated (SG) GFET (L=5 um), for both p- and n-type regions near and away CNP. At each of these regimes, the appropriate IV and LFN parameters can be accurately extracted. Regarding LFN, mobility fluctuation effect is dominant at CNP and from there the Hooge parameter aH can be extracted while the carrier number fluctuation contribution which is responsible for the well-known M-shape bias dependence of output noise divided by squared drain current, also observed in our data, makes possible the extraction of the NT parameter related to the number of traps. In the less possible case of a Lambda-shape trend, NT and aH can be extracted simultaneously from the region near CNP. Away from CNP, contact resistance can have a significant contribution to LFN and from there the relevant parameter SDR^2 is defined. The LFN parameters described above can be estimated from the low drain voltage region of operation where the effect of Velocity Saturation (VS) mechanism is negligible. VS effect results in the reduction of LFN at higher drain voltages and from there the IV parameter hOmega which represents the phonon energy and is related to VS effect can be derived both from drain current and LFN data

Persistent photoconductivity in 2-dimensional electron gases at different oxide interfaces

We report on the transport characterization in dark and under light irradiation of three different interfaces: LaAlO3/SrTiO3, LaGaO3/SrTiO3, and the novel NdGaO3/SrTiO3 heterostructure. All of them share a perovskite structure, an insulating nature of the single building blocks, a polar/non- polar character and a critical thickness of four unit cells for the onset of conductivity. The interface structure and charge confinement in NdGaO3/SrTiO3 are probed by atomic-scale- resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy showing that, similarly to LaAlO3/SrTiO3, extra electronic charge confined in a sheet of about 1.5 nm in thickness is present at the NdGaO3/SrTiO3 interface. Electric transport measurements performed in dark and under radiation show remarkable similarities and provide evidence that the persistent perturbation induced by light is an intrinsic peculiar property of the three investigated oxide-based polar/non-polar interfaces. Our work sets a framework for understanding the previous contrasting results found in literature about photoconductivity in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and highlights the connection between the origin of persistent photoconductivity and the origin of conductivity itself. An improved understanding of the photo- induced metastable electron-hole pairs might allow to shed a direct light on the complex physics of this system and on the recently proposed perspectives of oxide interfaces for solar energy conversion.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure