Thin film barristor: a gate tunable vertical graphene-pentacene device

TL;DR

This paper presents a vertical thin-film barristor device with graphene and pentacene, demonstrating gate-tunable current modulation through Fermi level adjustments, interpreted via thermionic emission theory.

Contribution

It introduces a novel vertical device structure combining graphene and pentacene with gate-controlled current modulation, expanding the understanding of organic-inorganic heterostructures.

Findings

Current modulated by graphene's Fermi energy

Energy barrier modulation up to 300 meV

Device behavior explained by thermionic emission

Abstract

We fabricate a vertical thin-film barristor device consisting of highly doped silicon (gate), 300 nm SiO2 (gate dielectric), monolayer graphene, pentacene, and a gold top electrode. We show that the current across the device is modulated by the Fermi energy level of graphene, tuned with an external gate voltage. We interpret the device current within the thermionic emission theory, showing a modulation of the energy barrier between graphene and pentacene as large as 300meV.