Bias-controlled multi-functional transport properties of InSe/BP van der Waals heterostructures

Van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, consisting of a variety of low-dimensional materials, have great potential use in the design of a wide range of functional devices thanks to their atomically thin body and strong electrostatic tunability. Here, we demonstrate multi-functional indium selenide (InSe)/black phosphorous (BP) heterostructures encapsulated by hexagonal boron nitride. At a positive drain bias (V_D), applied on the BP while the InSe is grounded, our heterostructures show an intermediate gate voltage (V_BG) regime where the current hardly changes, working as a ternary transistor. By contrast, at a negative V_D, the device shows strong negative differential transconductance characteristics; the peak current increases up to ~5 μA and the peak-to-valley current ratio reaches 1600 at V_D = -2 V. Four-terminal measurements were performed on each layer, allowing us to separate the contributions of contact resistances and channel resistance. Moreover, multiple devices with different device structures and contacts were investigated, providing insight into the operation principle and performance optimization. We systematically investigated the influence of contact resistances, heterojunction resistance, channel resistance, and the thickness of BP on the detailed operational characteristics at different V_D and V_BG regimes.