Detangling extrinsic and intrinsic hysteresis for detecting dynamic switch of electric dipoles using graphene field-effect transistors on ferroelectric gates.

Abstract

A transition in source-drain current vs. back gate voltage (ID-VBG) characteristics from extrinsic polar molecule dominant hysteresis to anti-hysteresis induced by an oxygen deficient surface layer that is intrinsic to the ferroelectric thin films has been observed on graphene field-effect transistors on Pb0.92La0.08Zr0.52Ti0.48O3 gates (GFET/PLZT-Gate) during a vacuum annealing process developed to systematically remove the polar molecules adsorbed on the GFET channel surface. This allows the extrinsic and intrinsic hysteresis on GFET/PLZT-gate devices to detangle and the detection of the dynamic switch of electric dipoles using GFETs, taking advantage of their high gating efficiency on ferroelectric gate. A model of the charge trapping and pinning mechanism is proposed to successfully explain the transition. In response to pulsed VBG trains of positive, negative, as well as alternating polarities, respectively, the source-drain current ID variation is instantaneous with the response amplitude following the ID-VBG loops measured by DC VBG with consideration of the remnant polarization after a given VBG pulse when the gate electric field exceeds the coercive field of the PLZT. A detection sensitivity of around 212 dipole per μm(2) has been demonstrated at room temperature, suggesting the GFET/ferroelectric-gate devices provide a promising high-sensitivity scheme for uncooled detection of electrical dipole dynamic switch.