Dissipative Transport in Rough Edge Graphene Nanoribbon Tunnel Transistors

TL;DR

This study investigates quantum transport in graphene nanoribbon tunnel transistors, highlighting how dissipative processes like inelastic scattering and edge roughness influence device performance and set fundamental limits.

Contribution

It introduces a self-consistent simulation including inelastic electron-phonon scattering and edge roughness effects in graphene nanoribbon transistors, revealing their impact on transport limits.

Findings

Dissipative scattering limits the minimum OFF current and subthreshold swing.

Edge roughness reduces the maximum achievable ON current.

Dissipative effects impose fundamental performance constraints.

Abstract

We have studied quantum transport in Graphene Nanoribbon Tunnel Field-Effect Transistors. Unlike other studies on similar structures, we have included dissipative processes induced by inelastic electron-phonon scattering and edge roughness in the nanoribbon self-consistently within a non-equilibrium transport simulation. Our results show that the dissipative scattering imposes a limit to the minimum OFF current and a minimum subthreshold swing that can be obtained even for long channel lengths where direct source-drain tunneling is inhibited. The edge roughness, in presence of dissipative scattering, somewhat surprisingly, shows a classical behavior where it mostly reduces the maximum ON current achievable in this structure.