Microwave Detection Using Two-Atom-Thick Self-Switching Diodes Based on Quantum Simulations and Advanced Circuit Models

In this article, a two-atom-thick diode based on 2-D materials is presented for microwave detection. The diode consists of a molybdenum disulfide monolayer/graphene monolayer heterojunction transferred onto a silicon/silicon dioxide substrate and patterned by means of nanolithography techniques to obtain a geometrical self-switching diode. The interaction between the two monolayers gives rise to a double-stage device, which behaves as a back-to-back diode in the [−3, +3] V voltage range, and as a tunnel diode when exceeding +10 V. The heterojunction can be reproduced at the wafer scale, thanks to its CMOS compatibility and ease of fabrication, and it can be used efficiently as a microwave detector up to 10 GHz, with the best performance around the ISM 2.45-GHz band. Starting from advanced quantum simulations to predict the dc behavior of the single heterojunction-based channel, the diode was fabricated and fully characterized experimentally. Lastly, a rigorous equivalent circuit model is provided, which relies on the measured scattering parameters at high frequencies and allows treating the diode embedded into a coplanar waveguide line as a two-port lossy device. This way, the device can be exploited in circuit-based numerical tools for the design of complex microwave front ends.