Characterization of a graphene-hBN superlattice field effect transistor

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that precisely aligned graphene-hBN heterostructures can function as effective field effect transistors by opening bandgaps at Dirac points, enabling tunable on/off switching for high-performance nanoelectronic devices.

Contribution

It introduces a method to create graphene-hBN FETs with controlled bandgaps through precise alignment, advancing the development of graphene-based transistors.

Findings

Bandgaps open at Dirac points due to moiré potential.

FETs exhibit tunable on/off ratios via dual gating.

Demonstrated potential for high-performance graphene heterostructure devices.

Abstract

Graphene provides a unique platform for hosting high quality 2D electron systems. Encapsulating graphene with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) to shield it from noisy environments offers the potential to achieve ultrahigh performance nanodevices, such as photodiodes and transistors. However, the absence of a bandgap at the Dirac point presents challenges for using this system as a useful transistor. In this study, we investigated the functionality of hBN-aligned monolayer graphene as a field effect transistor (FET). By precisely aligning the hBN and graphene, bandgaps open at the first Dirac point and at the hole-doped induced Dirac point via an interfacial moir\'e potential. To characterize this as a submicrometer scale FET, we fabricated a global bottom gate to tune the density of a conducting channel and a local top gate to switch off this channel. This demonstrated that the system could be tuned to an optimal on/off ratio regime by separately controlling the gates. These findings provide a valuable reference point for the further development of FETs based on graphene heterostructures.