Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbon Transistors with Long-Term Stability and Reliability

Atomically precise graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) synthesized from the bottom-up exhibit promising electronic properties for high-performance field-effect transistors (FETs). The feasibility of fabricating FETs with GNRs (GNRFETs) has been demonstrated, with ongoing efforts aimed at further improving their performance. However, their long-term stability and reliability remain unexplored, which is as important as their performance for practical applications. In this work, we fabricated short-channel FETs with nine-atom-wide armchair GNRs (9-AGNRFETs). We revealed that the on-state (I_ON) current performance of the 9-AGNRFETs deteriorates significantly over consecutive full transistor on and off logic cycles, which has neither been demonstrated nor previously considered. To address this issue, we deposited a thin ∼10 nm thick atomic layer deposition (ALD) layer of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) directly on these devices. The integrity, compatibility, electrical performance, stability, and reliability, of the GNRFETs before and/or after Al₂O₃ deposition were comprehensively studied. The results indicate that the observed decline in electrical device performance is most likely due to the degradation of contact resistance over multiple measurement cycles. We successfully demonstrated that the devices with the Al₂O₃ layer operate well up to several thousand continuous full cycles without any degradation. Our study offers valuable insights into the stability and reliability of GNR transistors, which could facilitate their large-scale integration into practical applications.