Indium doping-assisted monolayer Ga₂O₃ exfoliation for performance-enhanced MOSFETs

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Monolayer Gallium Oxide (ML Ga₂O₃) possesses exceptional properties for nanodevices.
• High exfoliation energy presents a significant challenge for obtaining ML Ga₂O₃.
• Existing methods for producing 2D materials often face limitations in efficiency and scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a more efficient method for obtaining ML Ga₂O₃.
• To investigate the impact of indium (In) doping on the properties of ML Ga₂O₃.
• To evaluate the performance of nanodevices based on In-doped ML Ga₂O₃.

Main Methods:

• First-principles calculations were employed to study exfoliation energy, stability, and electronic properties.
• Phonon spectrum and *ab initio* molecular dynamics were used to assess material stability.
• Non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism was utilized to simulate Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) characteristics.

Main Results:

• Indium doping reduced the exfoliation energy of ML Ga₂O₃ by 28%, comparable to typical van der Waals 2D materials.
• In-doped ML Ga₂O₃ demonstrated excellent stability even at high doping concentrations.
• Bandgap decreased with increasing In concentration, and device simulations showed significant improvements in on-current and figures of merit for MOSFETs.

Conclusions:

• Indium doping offers a viable strategy for efficient production of ML Ga₂O₃.
• In-doped ML Ga₂O₃ exhibits enhanced stability and tunable electronic properties.
• The improved characteristics of In-doped ML Ga₂O₃ show great promise for advanced sub-5 nm nanodevice applications.