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Abstract

Everlasting and unquenched thrust for more processing capabilities with ultra-low power and reduced dimensions posed several potent challenges to both device researchers and technologists. Optimal solutions at every level of abstraction are regularly being proposed to meet the desired necessities. In the last two decades or so material researchers have come with a number of existing materials (in particular 2D nanomaterials) such as graphene, Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs), silicene and germanene. As part of my research I have investigated silicon (germanium) counterpart of graphene known as silicene (germanene) for interconnect and spintronic applications under a quantum mechanical framework (which included a Density Functional Theory clubbed with Non-equilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) approach). I have theoretically investigated and highlighted the utility of silicene and germanene nanoribbons (SiNR and GeNR), not just for conventional semiconductor devices but also for other novel applications (such as interconnect and spintronic devices). I evaluated the structural feasibility (based on energy calculation under DFT framework), electronic properties (comprised of E-k structures, DOS profile), magnetic (spin polarized E-k structures, DOS profile) and transport properties (I-V characteristics, transmission eigen states/modes based on NEGF approach) to propose these structures for various technological applications. Investigation were done with these materials in the presence of hydrogen (H-), oxygen (O-), substrate induced impurities such as silver (Ag), gold (Au), iridium (Ir), aluminum (Al). Based on important theoretical parameters calculated in the studies such as (RQ, LK, CQ) serves as an initial pavement for the exhaustive performance evaluation of these materials for future interconnects. Similarly, possibilities of definite spin polarization for various cases including the proposed spin filter model facilitate the exposure of these materials for various spintronic applications. In a nutshell such studies lay a foundation for the possibilities of exploration of 2D materials for various applications other than semiconductors. Further in the similar pursuit the studies can well be extended to multilayered structures and defected 2D structures.

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About the Speaker

Dr. Varun Sharma is working as an Assistant Professor at Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Goa Campus, India. He has completed his PhD from ABV-Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management, Gwalior (M.P), India. He is working on 2D materials for nanoscale devices. His prime interests include modeling, characterizing the electronic, magnetic and transport properties of nanomaterial at atomistic dimensions.