Non-volatile switching in graphene field effect devices

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a reversible, electrically controlled switching mechanism in graphene field effect devices that induces a band gap through structural modification, enabling potential non-volatile memory applications.

Contribution

It introduces a new method to engineer a band gap in graphene devices via controlled structural modification, achieving reversible switching between conductive and insulating states.

Findings

Conductance switches by over six orders of magnitude.

Switching is triggered by an electric field causing chemical modification.

Reversal of the state is possible with opposite electric fields or current pulses.

Abstract

The absence of a band gap in graphene restricts its straight forward application as a channel material in field effect transistors. In this letter, we report on a new approach to engineer a band gap in graphene field effect devices (FED) by controlled structural modification of the graphene channel itself. The conductance in the FEDs is switched between a conductive "on-state" to an insulating "off-state" with more than six orders of magnitude difference in conductance. Above a critical value of an electric field applied to the FED gate under certain environmental conditions, a chemical modification takes place to form insulating graphene derivatives. The effect can be reversed by electrical fields of opposite polarity or short current pulses to recover the initial state. These reversible switches could potentially be applied to non-volatile memories and novel neuromorphic processing concepts.