Insights into negative differential resistance in MoS2 Esaki diodes: A first-principles perspective

Abstract

\ce{MoS_2} is a two dimensional material with a band gap depending on the number of layers and tunable by an external electric field. The experimentally observed intralayer band-to-band tunneling and interlayer band-to-band tunneling in this material present an opportunity for new electronic applications in tunnel field effect transistors. However, such a widely accepted concept has never been supported up by theoretical investigations based on first principles. In this work, using density functional theory, in conjunction with non-equilibrilibrium Green's function techniques and our electric field gating method, enabled by a large-scale computational approach, we study the relation between band alignment and transmission in planar and side-stack \ce{MoS_2} $p$-$i$-$n$ junction configurations. We demonstrate the presence of negative differential resistance for both in-plane and interlayer current, a staple characteristic of tunnel diode junctions, and analyze the physical origin of such an effect. Electrostatic potentials, the van der Waals barrier, and complex band analysis are also examined for a thorough understanding of Esaki Diodes.