Large Current Modulation and Spin-Dependent Tunneling of Vertical Graphene/MoS$_{2}$ Heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates enhanced current modulation and spin-dependent tunneling in vertical graphene/MoS2 heterostructures, advancing electronic and spintronic device capabilities through novel heterostructure design.

Contribution

It introduces a method to improve current on/off ratios using graphene nanoribbons and reveals spin-dependent tunneling effects in magnetic MoS2 layers.

Findings

Enhanced current on/off ratio with graphene nanoribbons.

Observation of spin-dependent tunneling in magnetic MoS2.

Potential for improved electronic and spintronic devices.

Abstract

Vertical graphene heterostructures have been introduced as an alternative architecture for electronic devices by using quantum tunneling. Here, we present that the current on/off ratio of vertical graphene field-effect transistors is enhanced by using an armchair graphene nanoribbon as an electrode. Moreover, we report spin-dependent tunneling current of the graphene/MoS2 heterostructures. When an atomically thin MoS2 layer sandwiched between graphene electrodes becomes magnetic, Dirac fermions with different spins feel different height of the tunnel barrier, leading to spin-dependent tunneling. Our finding will develop the present graphene heterostructures for electronic devices by improving the device performance and by adding the possibility of spintronics based on graphene.