Next-Generation Hybrid RF Front-End with MoS2-FET Supply Management Circuit, CNT-FET Amplifiers, and Graphene Thin-Film Antennas

Abstract

One-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) materials represent the emerging technologies for transistor electronics in view of their attractive electrical (high power gain, high cut-off frequency, low power dissipation) and mechanical properties. This work investigates the integration of carbon-nanotube-based field-effect transistors (CNT-FETs) and molybdenum disulphide (MoS2)-based FETs with standard CMOS technology for designing a simple analog system integrating a power switching circuit for the supply management of a 10 GHz transmitting/receiving (T/R) module that embeds a low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a high-power amplifier (HPA), both of which loaded by nanocrystalline graphene (NCG)-based patch antennas. Verilog-A models, tuned to the technology that will be used to manufacture the FETs, were implemented to perform electrical simulations of the MoS2 and CNT devices using a commercial integrated circuit software simulator. The obtained simulation results prove the potential of hybrid CNT-MoS2-FET circuits as building blocks for next-generation integrated circuits for radio frequency (RF) applications, such as radars or IoT systems.