On the use of multilayer hexagonal boron nitride as dielectric in micro/nano-electronic devices

[eng] Electronic devices are becoming increasingly essential for our work and life. The downscaling process of electronic devices, as well as the development of new devices for artificial intelligence and internet of things, are boosting the demand of advanced electronic devices. In this context, dielectric materials are essential building blocks of many electronic devices, as they enable key functionalities like capacitance and memristive effect. Currently, the dielectric materials most employed by the semiconductor industry (such as high-k materials) face performance and reliability challenges that endanger the correct development of future memory and computing devices. For this reason, a new generation of dielectric materials is desired to overcome the current demands. Twodimensional (2D) materials are considered promising candidates for next-generation electronic devices. In particular, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a 2D layered material with one of the largest band gaps (5.9 eV), which enables its use as gate insulator of a transistor or a resistive switching layer in memristors. In this work, we study the dielectric performance of multilayer mechanically exfoliated h-BN stacks in several types of devices. First, we explore the performance of defect-free mechanically exfoliated multilayer h-BN as gate dielectric material. Second, we explore the performance of defect-rich multilayer h-BN stacks, produced via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), as resistive switching layer in memristors with vertical metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure. And third, we have explored the performance of one-transistor-one-memristor (1T1M) cells – the building block of memristive circuits for information storage and computation – fabricated by connecting a MoS2 transistor to a h-BN memristor. In this doctoral thesis, we present valuable data to understand the properties of h- BN, as well as its potential for applications in the field of micro/nano-electronics. The data contained in this document may be of great help of other researchers and engineers devoted to the development of post-silicon electronics, and they should contribute to a faster development of such technologies for the benefit of mankind.