Native GaN/GaOx heterostructure platform for wafer-scale integration of high-performance complementary transistors
The drive for complementary transistors with ultra-steep subthreshold swing (SS) and minimal power consumption has intensified interest in integrating low-dimensional semiconductors with wide-bandgap materials, as silicon scaling approaches its physical limits in the post-Moore era. A central bottleneck, however, lies in dielectric/semiconductor interface engineering: existing strategies based on van der Waals transfer or nonnative dielectric deposition compromise interface quality, wafer-scale uniformity, and process compatibility, preventing practical large-scale integration. Here, we demonstrate a previously unexplored in situ oxidation strategy that directly forms a high-κ gallium oxide (GaO<sub>x</sub>) dielectric on heavily doped n-type gallium nitride (GaN) substrates, enabling high-performance, energy-efficient complementary inverters based on n-type molybdenum disulfide (MoS<sub>2</sub>) and p-type carbon nanotube transistors. Leveraging the excellent dielectric properties of the GaN/GaO<sub>x</sub> heterostructure, MoS<sub>2</sub> field-effect transistors achieve an interface trap density of 1.18 × 10<sup>11</sup> cm<sup>-2</sup> eV<sup>-1</sup>, an SS at the thermionic limit of 60 mV dec<sup>-1</sup>, an on/off ratio above 10<sup>8</sup> at 0.87 V, and a voltage gain of 134.5 at 2 V for inverters. These results establish GaN/GaO<sub>x</sub> as a native, scalable, and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible integration platform, offering a transformative route toward wafer-scale, low-power electronics in the post-Moore era.
Authors
- Dongming Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1552-7940)
- Jinhua Liang
- Yun Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2652-3040)
- Yuning Wei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5438-4711)
- Hui–Ming Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5387-4241)
- Yutaka Ohno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4577-1533)
- Chi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5518-2276)
- Shun Feng
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Institute of Metal Research (CN)
- Nagoya University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Research
- Published
- 2025-12-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.34133/research.1058
- Primary Topic
- GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- National Key Research and Development Program of China