Resonant tunneling in graphene-ferroelectric-graphene junctions

Abstract

We study tunnel junctions consisting of a two-dimensional ferroelectric (FE) material sandwiched between graphene electrodes. We formulate a theory for the interplay of the FE polarization and induced free charges in such devices, taking into account quantum capacitance effects. We predict a gate-sensitive FE voltage difference across the device, which can be measured using electrostatic force microscopy. Incorporating this electrostatic theory in the tunneling current-voltage characteristics, we identify a resonance peak associated with aligned Dirac cones as a highly sensitive probe of the FE polarization of the junction. This opens the way for device applications with few atom-thick FE layers acting as readable ultra-high-density memory.