Experimental two-dimensional (2D) black phosphorus (BP) transistors typically appear in the form of Schottky barrier field effect transistors (SBFETs), but their performance limit remains open. We investigate the performance limit of monolayer BP SBFETs in the sub-10 nm scale by using ab initio quantum transport simulations. The devices with 2D graphene electrodes are apparently superior to those with bulk Ti electrodes due to their smaller and tunable Schottky barrier heights and the absence of metal induced gap states in the channels. With graphene electrodes, the performance limit of the sub-10 nm monolayer BP SBFETs outperforms the monolayer MoS2, carbon nanotube, and advanced silicon transistors and even can meet the requirements of both high performance and low power logic applications of the next decade in the latest International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. It appears that the ML BP SBFETs have the best intrinsic device performance among the reported sub-10 nm 2D material SBFETs.
Keywords: 2D materials; ITRS; ab initio calculations; electronic transport; nanoelectronics.