Events in Physics

A. Gruverman

Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

In recent years there has been an unprecedented interest in various two-dimensional (2D) materials that often possess unique physical and chemical properties that cannot be found in their three-dimensional counterparts. An important advantage of 2D materials is the fact that due to their planar morphology they can be easily integrated with other 2D materials and functional films, resulting in multilayered structures with new properties. In particular, there was a considerable interest in a novel type of electronic devices, in which graphene, a 2D carbon material, was coupled with different ferroelectric (FE) materials. Electrically switchable ferroelectric polarization opens a possibility of electrical control of the functional properties of the adjacent graphene layer.

In this presentation, we discuss implementation of the hybrid electronic devices comprising 2D materials and FE thin films (2D-FE) that exhibit polarization-controlled non-volatile modulation of the electronic transport. While many 2D materials can be considered in conjunction with FE materials, this talk primarily focuses on the use of graphene and transition metal dichalcogenide MoS₂. Specifically, we show how polarization reversal modulates (1) the in-plane transport of the interfacial conducting channel in the FE field effect devices, and (2) the perpendicular-to-plane tunneling conductance in the FE tunnel junction devices. All in all, we demonstrate that interface engineering is a critical component determining the functional properties of these devices.