Anomalous Electron Transport in Field-Effect Transistors with Titanium Ditelluride Semimetal Thin-Film Channels

TL;DR

This study explores the electronic properties of titanium ditelluride thin films used in field-effect transistors, revealing anomalous electron transport behaviors that could enable non-Boolean logic applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the fabrication and characterization of TiTe2-based FETs showing unique non-linear and non-monotonic current behaviors at room temperature.

Findings

Non-linear I-V characteristics with threshold behavior.

Unusual non-monotonic drain-current dependence on gate bias.

Potential for non-Boolean logic gate implementation.

Abstract

We report on "graphene-like" mechanical exfoliation of thin films of titanium ditelluride and investigation of their electronic properties. The exfoliated crystalline TiTe2 films were used as the channel layers in the back-gated field-effect transistors fabricated with Ti/Al/Au metal contacts on SiO2/Si substrates. The room-temperature current-voltage characteristics revealed strongly non-linear behavior with signatures of the source-drain threshold voltage similar to those observed in the charge-density-wave devices. The drain-current showed an unusual non-monotonic dependence on the gate bias characterized by the presence of multiple peaks. The obtained results can be potentially used for implementation of the non-Boolean logic gates.