A CMOS-integrable ambipolar tellurene nanofilm-based negative differential transconductance transistor for multi-valued logic computing†

Abstract

Despite growing interest, the development of nanomaterial-based ternary inverters has often been hindered by the requirement for complex structures, which limit scalability and integration. In this study, we present a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible ambipolar Te nanofilm-based transistor with negative differential transconductance (NDT), which presents considerable potential for multi-valued logic computing without requiring a complicated fabrication process. The hydrothermally synthesized Te nanoflakes, encapsulated in an Al₂O₃ thin film via thermal atomic layer deposition, exhibited ambipolar behavior with distinct NDT characteristics. They are driven by Fermi level modulation and doping profile transitions, thereby supporting transitions through hole diffusion, band-to-band tunneling, and electron conduction. A Te transistor-based ternary inverter successfully demonstrated three stable logic states with a clear intermediate voltage state between the binary “0” and “1” states. We believe that this work highlights the potential of Te-based NDT transistors for application in next-generation computing architectures that can be implemented in high-data-density and energy-efficient operations.