Fluorinated graphene in interface engineering of Ge-based nanoelectronics

Germanium is a promising candidate to replace silicon in nanoelectronics due to its significantly higher electron and hole mobilities. However, the unstable germanium oxide formed at the interface between the channel and dielectric layer has impeded the progress of Ge-based nanoelectronics. By taking advantage of the impermeability of graphene, it is discovered that the insulating fluorinated graphene is able to act as an efficient diffusion barrier layer to suppress the formation of the unstable interfacial oxide in Ge-based devices. The Ge-based device with the fluorinated graphene exhibits negligible capacitance versus voltage hysteresis, extremely low leakage, and superior equivalent oxide thickness. First-principles calculations reveal that interfacial diffusion, which would otherwise be unmanageable, is sufficiently obstructed by the fluorinated graphene. This new structure is expected to expedite the implementation of germanium as a channel material in next-generation nanoelectronic devices.