Improving the radiation hardness of graphene field effect transistors

Abstract

Ionizing radiation poses a significant challenge to the operation and reliability of conventional silicon-based devices. Here, we report the effects of gamma radiation on graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs), along with a method to mitigate those effects by developing a radiation-hardened version of our back-gated GFETs. We demonstrate that activated atmospheric oxygen from the gamma ray interaction with air damages the semiconductor device, and damage to the substrate contributes additional threshold voltage instability. Our radiation-hardened devices, which have protection against these two effects, exhibit minimal performance degradation, improved stability, and significantly reduced hysteresis after prolonged gamma radiation exposure. We believe this work provides an insight into graphene's interactions with ionizing radiation that could enable future graphene-based electronic devices to be used for space, military, and other radiation-sensitive applications.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Oct 10, 2016
Source ID
10.1063/1.4963782

Entities

People

  • Amrita Masurkar
  • Hassan Edrees
  • Ioannis Kymissis
  • James C. Hone
  • James F. Wishart
  • Konstantinos Alexandrou
  • Nicholas Petrone
  • Yufeng Hao

Organizations

  • Brookhaven National Laboratory
  • Columbia University
  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  • National Science Foundation
  • United States Department of Energy

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Nuclear and Radiation Engineering.
  • Semiconductor Device Technology

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space