Hong-Yan Chen

With recent developments in the search for novel device ideas, understanding electron-electron interaction in low dimensional systems is of particular interest. Coulomb drag measurements can provide critical insights in this context. In this article, we present a novel planar graphene double ribbon structure that shows for the first time that Coulomb drag is observable in two adjacent monolayer ribbons in the same plane at room temperature. Moreover, our planar devices enable experimentally study of the impact of the dielectric constant on Coulomb drag which is difficult to explore in the typically used double layer graphene structures. Our experimental findings indicate in particular that the drag resistance is proportional to the dielectric constant (ε) and does not, as recently reported, show an increasing trend of interaction strength for small ε-values. In fact, we find that the drag resistance follows approximately an ε 1.2-dependence. The exponent of “1.2” is consistent with the theory considering the carrier concentration in our samples, and positions our results in between the weak and strong coupling limits.

An electrostatic doping approach has been implemented in graphene voltage amplifiers operating in a complementary configuration. The employed controllable electrostatic doping enables the operation of both pFET and nFET at the maximum transconductance point for an optimized voltage gain. In this context, the impact of supply voltage and channel length has been studied in detail. We have identified an unusual scaling trend of the voltage gain as a function of the supply voltage, which is most prominent for shorter channel devices. Our findings also indicate that the voltage gain reported in previous works can be improved threefold by proper pFET/nFET doping, as discussed here.

Graphene has captured the imagination of researchers worldwide as an ideal two-dimensional material with exceptional electrical transport properties. The high electron and hole mobility quickly inspired scientists to search for electronic applications that require high-performance channel materials. However, the absence of a bandgap in graphene immediately revealed itself in terms of ambipolar device characteristics and the nonexistence of a device off-state. The question is: How can the superior electronic properties of graphene be harvested while dealing appropriately with its unique characteristics rather than enforcing conventional device concepts? Here, we report a novel device idea, a graphene-based frequency tripler, an application that employs an innovative electrostatic doping approach and exploits the unique ambipolar behavior of graphene.