Modeling a Schottky-barrier carbon nanotube field-effect transistor with ferromagneticcontacts

Abstract

In this study, a model of a Schottky-barrier carbon nanotube field-effect transistor(CNT-FET), with ferromagnetic contacts, has been developed. The emphasis is put onanalysis of current–voltage characteristics as well as shot (and thermal) noise. The methodis based on the tight-binding model and the non-equilibrium Green’s function technique.The calculations show that, at room temperature, the shot noise of the CNT-FET isPoissonian in the sub-threshold region, whereas in elevated gate and drain/source voltageregions the Fano factor gets strongly reduced. Moreover, transport properties stronglydepend on relative magnetization orientations in the source and drain contacts. Inparticular, one observes quite a large tunnel magnetoresistance, whose absolute value mayexceed 50%.