For a considerable time, the 60-millivolt Boltzmann limit has posed a significant barrier to the advancement of chip power consumption and computing capabilities. Traditional transistors, hindered by this limitation, have found it challenging to achieve further reductions in power consumption. However, a collaborative team from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the National University of Singapore has made a breakthrough by developing a tunneling field-effect transistor (TFET) based on a bismuth/indium selenide heterojunction.
By carefully selecting complementary materials and utilizing pulsed laser deposition technology in an ultra-high vacuum environment, the team successfully created an atomically clean interface. This achievement marks the first time that long-range continuous low subthreshold swing, high output current, and high on-off ratio have been simultaneously realized. Its I₆₀ reaches 10 microamperes per micrometer, which is ten times the requirement set by the International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS).
Experimental evidence indicates that the current transport in this device is predominantly governed by quantum tunneling. Moreover, the device is scalable and compatible with silicon-based processes. At present, the device remains in the laboratory stage. Although further progress in process integration and reliability testing is necessary, it has already overcome key technological hurdles, enabling the TFET to rival CMOS technology and offering an effective solution to the challenge of chip power consumption.