Cubic boron nitride as a material for future electron device applications: A comparative analysis

Abstract

Drawing upon a collection of electron transport results, coupled with a variety of other material parameters, we set expectations on the upper limits to device performance of zinc blende boron-nitride-based electron devices. We examine how the device performance varies with the device length-scale, noting that a diversity of physical regimes are experienced as the device length-scale reduces from that corresponding to a long electron device, i.e., 100 μm, to the sub-micron level. Results corresponding to zinc blende boron nitride are contrasted with those associated with germanium, silicon, gallium arsenide, the 4H-phase of silicon carbide, wurtzite gallium nitride, and diamond. The electron device performance metrics that we focus upon for the purposes of this analysis include the effective mobility, accounting for the transition between the ballistic and the collision-dominated electron transport regimes, and the cutoff frequency.