Physics-based GNRFET compact model for digital circuit design

Graphene has attracted significant interest as a possible candidate for future transistors because of its high carrier mobility and current density [1]. The biggest setback of intrinsic graphene in digital applications is the absence of a bandgap, needed for digital logic to distinguish between high and low current states. Experiments demonstrated the opening of a bandgap by either applying an interlayer electrical field on bilayer graphene [2], or quantum confinement in narrow graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) (<;10 nm in width) [3], which ushered in the design of wide-narrow-wide GNR field-effect transistors (GNRFET) [4]. However, such a bandgap comes at the expense of mobility [5]. Goal of this paper is to show the architectural ramifications of small bandgap graphene, using physics based compact model benchmarked with experiment.