Tunnel field-effect transistors exhibiting performance beyond the Boltzmann thermionic limit.

Abstract

The International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS) has identified the tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) as the most promising next-generation logic device that enables sustainable downscaling in driving voltage and power consumption. Demonstrating an acceptable sub-Boltzmann-limit ON current (namely I60, the current level when a TFET switches to a subthreshold swing level of 60 millivolts per decade) and current-switching ratio has presented a formidable challenge. We report a TFET based on a bismuth/indium selenide (Bi/InSe) heterostructure that exhibits an I60 of up to ~10 microamperes per micrometer and a current-switching ratio of >107. We attribute such promising TFETs to precise material design, clean interfaces fabricated under vacuum, and band engineering based on subthreshold swing physics. Our results demonstrate a high-performance basic building block that meets the IRDS requirements for next-generation integrated circuits.