Projected performance advantage of multilayer graphene nanoribbons as a transistor channel material

The performance limits of a multilayer graphene nanoribbon (GNR) field-effect transistor (FET) are assessed and compared with those of a monolayer GNRFET and a carbon nanotube (CNT) FET. The results show that with a thin high dielectric constant (high-κ) gate insulator and reduced interlayer coupling, a multilayer GNRFET can significantly outperform its CNT counterpart with a similar gate and bandgap in terms of the ballistic on-current. In the presence of optical phonon scattering, which has a short mean free path in the graphene-derived nanostructures, the advantage of the multilayer GNRFET is even more significant. Simulation results indicate that multilayer GNRs with incommensurate non-AB stacking and weak interlayer coupling are the best candidates for high-performance GNRFETs.