Atomic threshold-switching enabled MoS<sub>2</sub> transistors towards ultralow-power electronics.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33277501.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-20051-0 and PMC identifier 7719160.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Power dissipation is a fundamental issue for future chip-based electronics. As promising channel materials, two-dimensional semiconductors show excellent capabilities of scaling dimensions and reducing off-state currents. However, field-effect transistors based on two-dimensional materials are still confronted with the fundamental thermionic limitation of the subthreshold swing of 60 mV decade<sup>-1</sup> at room temperature. Here, we present an atomic threshold-switching field-effect transistor constructed by integrating a metal filamentary threshold switch with a two-dimensional MoS<sub>2</sub> channel, and obtain abrupt steepness in the turn-on characteristics and 4.5 mV decade<sup>-1</sup> subthreshold swing (over five decades). This is achieved by using the negative differential resistance effect from the threshold switch to induce an internal voltage amplification across the MoS<sub>2</sub> channel. Notably, in such devices, the simultaneous achievement of efficient electrostatics, very small sub-thermionic subthreshold swings, and ultralow leakage currents, would be highly desirable for next-generation energy-efficient integrated circuits and ultralow-power applications.