Graphene–Silicon Diode for 2-D Heterostructure Electrical Failure Protection

Two-dimensional materials have modernized a broad interest in electronic devices. Along with many advantages, their atomic-level thickness makes them sensitive under high electrical stress. This work proposes a protection design using a Graphene/Silicon (Gr/Si) Schottky diode as the protective device, which helps to improve the endurance for unwanted fluctuations in operating voltage of 2D heterostructure-based devices. In this scheme, the 2D heterostructure was configured parallel with the protective device (Gr/Si diode) for electrical measurements. It was found that Gr/Si diode handles a large portion of initial surge current peaks, which significantly increases the durability and lifetime of 2D material-based heterostructure devices. This scheme potentially bridges mature CMOS technology and novel 2D-based heterostructure applications for robust futuristic devices.