Graphene base hot electron transistors with high on/off current ratios

Despite exceptional intrinsic properties of graphene, field effect transistors with graphene channels (GFETs) are limited by the absence of an electronic band gap. The resulting low I_ON-I_OFF ratio and low output resistance makes GFETs unsuitable for logic applications [1] and limits radio frequency (RF) applications [2]. We will present a graphene-based electronic device in which the 0 eV band gap does not limit the device performance: a hot electron transistor (HET) with a graphene base (Graphene Base Transistor, GBT) [3,4]. The single-atomic thinness and high conductivity are decisive advantages of a graphene base [5]. Here, we report on the fabrication and full DC-characterization of GBTs with high I_ON-I_OFF ratio of 10⁵.