A sub-10 nm monolayer ReS2 transistor for low-power applications

Abstract

Improvement of the energy efficiency is an imperative need for electronics towards the Internet of Things (IoT). In this study, we investigated the performance limits of n-type sub-10 nm monolayer (ML) ReS₂ metal–oxide–semiconductor FETs (MOSFETs) using ab initio quantum transport simulation. Due to the anisotropic nature of the band structure, the zigzag-directed devices perform better than the armchair-directed devices. The zigzag-directed sub-10 nm ML ReS₂ MOSFETs show a low subthreshold swing down to 52 mV dec⁻¹ and a high on-current up to 486 μA μm⁻¹. When compared with the international technology roadmap for semiconductors (ITRS) 2013 edition, the delay time and power-delay product of the zigzag devices have been found to fulfill the requirements for low-power applications until the gate length is scaled down to 3 and 1 nm, respectively. The excellent electrostatics, large on-current, and ultra-low energy consumption make ReS₂ a promising candidate for future electronics in the coming IoT era.