The linear dispersion relation in graphene gives rise to a surprising prediction: the resistivity due to isotropic scatterers, such as white-noise disorder or phonons, is independent of carrier density, n. Here we show that electron-acoustic phonon scattering is indeed independent of n, and contributes only 30 Omega to graphene's room-temperature resistivity. At a technologically relevant carrier density of 1 x1012 cm-2, we infer a mean free path for electron-acoustic phonon scattering of >2 microm and an intrinsic mobility limit of 2 x 105 cm2 V-1 s-1. If realized, this mobility would exceed that of InSb, the inorganic semiconductor with the highest known mobility ( approximately 7.7 x 104 cm2 V-1 s-1; ref. 9) and that of semiconducting carbon nanotubes ( approximately 1 x 105 cm2 V-1 s-1; ref. 10). A strongly temperature-dependent resistivity contribution is observed above approximately 200 K (ref. 8); its magnitude, temperature dependence and carrier-density dependence are consistent with extrinsic scattering by surface phonons at the SiO2 substrate and limit the room-temperature mobility to approximately 4 x 104 cm2 V-1 s-1, indicating the importance of substrate choice for graphene devices.

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Intrinsic and extrinsic performance limits of graphene devices on SiO2.

Heterostructures based on layering of two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride represent a new class of electronic devices. Realizing this potential, however, depends critically on the ability to make high-quality electrical contact. Here, we report a contact geometry in which we metalize only the 1D edge of a 2D graphene layer. In addition to outperforming conventional surface contacts, the edge-contact geometry allows a complete separation of the layer assembly and contact metallization processes. In graphene heterostructures, this enables high electronic performance, including low-temperature ballistic transport over distances longer than 15 micrometers, and room-temperature mobility comparable to the theoretical phonon-scattering limit. The edge-contact geometry provides new design possibilities for multilayered structures of complimentary 2D materials.

One-dimensional electrical contact to a two-dimensional material.

For 50 years the exponential rise in the power of electronics has been fuelled by an increase in the density of silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors and improvements to their logic performance. But silicon transistor scaling is now reaching its limits, threatening to end the microelectronics revolution. Attention is turning to a family of materials that is well placed to address this problem: group III-V compound semiconductors. The outstanding electron transport properties of these materials might be central to the development of the first nanometre-scale logic transistors.

Nanometre-scale electronics with III–V compound semiconductors

Silicon has enabled the rise of the semiconductor electronics industry, but it was not the first material used in such devices. During the 1950s, just after the birth of the transistor, solid-state devices were almost exclusively manufactured from germanium. Today, one of the key ways to improve transistor performance is to increase charge-carrier mobility within the device channel. Motivated by this, the solid-state device research community is returning to investigating the high-mobility material germanium. Germanium-based transistors have the potential to operate at high speeds with low power requirements and might therefore be used in non-silicon-based semiconductor technology in the future.

Academic and industry research progress in germanium nanodevices

Several research groups have been actively pursuing antimonide-based electronic devices in recent years. The advantage of narrow-bandgap Sb-based devices over conventional GaAs- or InP-based devices is the attainment of high-frequency operation with much lower power consumption. This paper will review the progress on three antimonide-based electronic devices: high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs), and heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). Progress on the HEMT includes the demonstration of Ka- and W-band low-noise amplifier circuits that operate at less than one-third the power of similar InP-based circuits. The RTDs exhibit excellent figures of merit but, like their InP- and GaAs-based counterparts, are waiting for a viable commercial application. Several approaches are being investigated for HBTs, with circuits reported using InAs and InGaAs bases.

Antimonide-based compound semiconductors for electronic devices: A review

Quantum wells of InGaSb clad by AlGaSb were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The InGaSb is in compressive strain, resulting in a splitting of the heavy- and light-hole valence bands and an enhancement of the mobility. The mobility was found to increase with increasing InSb mole fraction for values of strain up to 2%. Room-temperature mobilities as high as 1500cm2∕Vs were reached for 7.5nm channels of In0.40Ga0.60Sb. These results are an important step toward the goal of high-performance p-channel field-effect transistors for complementary circuits operating at extremely low power.

Mobility enhancement in strained p-InGaSb quantum wells

Strained GaSb/AlAsSb quantum wells for p-channel field-effect transistors

We have studied the surface cleaning of Sb-based compound semiconductors using HF, NH4OH, and HCl cleans and the metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) capacitors fabricated subsequently. GaSb, InGaSb, and AlGaSb surfaces are investigated using low-energy radiation from the synchrotron. Capacitance–voltage (C–V) and photoluminescence measurements are carried out on capacitors made with Al2O3 from atomic layer deposition and corroborated with the results from synchrotron spectroscopy. Excellent C–V characteristics with a mid-band-gap interface state density of 3 × 1011/cm2eV are obtained on samples with the HCl clean. This is consistent with the finding that only the HCl acid clean is able to remove the native oxides present on GaSb and InGaSb surfaces, and produce clean and stable surfaces suitable for MOSFET development. Complete removal of AlOx on the AlGaSb surface was not possible using chemical cleaning. Termination of AlGaSb with two monolayers of GaSb is proposed as a solution.

Device quality Sb-based compound semiconductor surface: A comparative study of chemical cleaning

In this report, we study the effectiveness of hydrogen plasma surface treatments for improving the electrical properties of GaSb/Al2O3 interfaces. Prior to atomic layer deposition of an Al2O3 dielectric, p-GaSb surfaces were exposed to hydrogen plasmas in situ, with varying plasma powers, exposure times, and substrate temperatures. Good electrical interfaces, as indicated by capacitance-voltage measurements, were obtained using higher plasma powers, longer exposure times, and increasing substrate temperatures up to 250 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the most effective treatments result in decreased SbOx, decreased Sb, and increased GaOx content at the interface. This in situ hydrogen plasma surface preparation improves the semiconductor/insulator electrical interface without the use of wet chemical pretreatments and is a promising approach for enhancing the performance of Sb-based devices.

J. Brad Boos

Papers

Antimonide-based compound semiconductors for electronic devices: A review

Mobility enhancement in strained p-InGaSb quantum wells

Strained GaSb/AlAsSb quantum wells for p-channel field-effect transistors

Device quality Sb-based compound semiconductor surface: A comparative study of chemical cleaning

Atomic layer deposition of Al2O3 on GaSb using in situ hydrogen plasma exposure