Mechanism for Current Saturation and Energy Dissipation in Graphene Transistors

From a combination of careful and detailed theoretical and experimental studies, we demonstrate that the Boltzmann theory including all scattering mechanisms gives an excellent account, with no adjustable parameters, of high electric field transport in single as well as double-oxide graphene transistors. We further show unambiguously that scattering from the substrate and superstrate surface optical phonons governs the high-field transport and heat dissipation over a wide range of experimentally relevant parameters. Models that neglect surface optical phonons altogether or treat them in a simple phenomenological manner are inadequate. We outline possible strategies for achieving higher current and complete saturation in graphene devices.