Ultrahigh Rectification Ratio in an Asymmetric Metal/ Semiconductor/Metal Nanoscale Tunneling Junction: Implications for High-Frequency Rectifiers

Authors：Liu, Xuefeng; Feng, Guangdi; Feng, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Jinzhong; Hao, Shenglan; Zhu, Qiuxiang; Yue, Fangyu; Zhong, Ni; Peng, Hui; Tang, Xiaodong; Yang, Zhenzhong^*; Huang, Rong; Tian, Bobo^*; Chu, Junhao; Duan, Chungang

Source：ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2023, 6(4): 2491-2497.

DOI：10.1021/acsanm.2c04791

• diode
• tunneling junction
• ZnO
• MSM
• rectification

The ultrafast quantum-based electron-transport mechanism with a typical tunneling time of femtoseconds is appealing to fabricate high-frequency rectifier diode devices for applications such as solar energy harvesting, THz mixers, and infrared detectors. Here, we demonstrate an ultrahigh rectification of more than 104 and a large forward current density of 13.8 A/cm2 at -2 V in the structure of a metal/semiconductor/metal (MSM, Pt/ZnO/TiN) nanoscale tunneling junction. Technology com-puter-aided design (TCAD) simulations demonstrate that high rectification originates from the switching of the electron-transport mechanism between direct tunneling (DT) and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling (FNT) under positive and negative voltage biases, respectively. The quantum-based FNT mechanism gives very slight temperature dependence of currents in a wide temperature range of 100-400 K. This work opens an avenue for high-frequency rectifier diodes based on MSM nanoscale tunneling junctions.

• Institution
  复旦大学