Determining the Number of Graphene Nanoribbons in Dual-Gate Field-Effect Transistors

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 23; no. 18; pp. 8474 - 8480
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jian, Barin, Gabriela Borin, Furrer, Roman, Du, Cheng-Zhuo, Wang, Xiao-Ye, Müllen, Klaus, Ruffieux, Pascal, Fasel, Roman, Calame, Michel, Perrin, Mickael L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 27.09.2023
• Subjects: Letter; nanoribbons; field-effect transistors; graphene; charge-transport
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c01931

Bottom-up synthesized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are increasingly attracting interest due to their atomically controlled structure and customizable physical properties. In recent years, a range of GNR-based field-effect transistors (FETs) has been fabricated, with several demonstrating quantum-dot (QD) behavior at cryogenic temperatures. However, understanding the relationship between the cryogenic charge-transport characteristics and the number of the GNRs in the device is challenging, as the length and location of the GNRs in the junction are not precisely controlled. Here, we present a methodology based on a dual-gate FET that allows us to identify different scenarios, such as single GNRs, double or multiple GNRs in parallel, and a single GNR interacting with charge traps. Our dual-gate FET architecture therefore offers a quantitative approach for comprehending charge transport in atomically precise GNRs.