Two-Dimensional MoSe₂ Schottky-Barrier Transistors for Application in On-Chip Thermal Sensing

In this work, we explore the potential of MoSe₂-based multilayer field-effect transistors (FETs) for application in on-chip thermal sensing. By implementing these devices with Schottky-barrier (SB) contacts, we demonstrate a strong (exponential) temperature dependence of their current, across both the thermionic (subthreshold) and tunneling (nominally on) regimes. The quantitative features of this behavior are captured by a Landauer-formula-based treatment of tunneling transmission at the SB contacts. Building on this understanding, we use a resistive line, fabricated in the proximity of the FET channel, to mimic the generation of heat in an actively biased integrated circuit. In this way, we are able to show that a measurement of the transistor drain current in the subthreshold regime should enable effective thermal sensing. Overall, our results emphasize the strong potential of SB FETs, based on thin transition-metal dichalcogenide channels, for such sensing. In addition to the desirable sensitivity of their transistor current to variations in temperature, the capacity of these devices for heterogeneous (back-end-of-line) integration should make them useful in a variety of technology scenarios.