Theoretical Background

Abstract

Regarding potential applications of 2D heterostructures, it is the focus to the remainder of the thesis to investigate interlayer tunneling in layered heterostructures from a theoretical perspective. Although the experimental findings of the previous chapters provide meaningful contributions to the field on their own, these works are additionally motivated by several key predictions which will be the subject of the following chapters. Given that there are many exciting and novel properties of 2D materials, particularly pertaining to electronic behavior, it is therefore expected that there will be equally novel and exciting properties in electronic devices based on such materials. Interlayer tunneling devices in particular are an interesting starting point for such considerations since the atomic flatness, lack of dangling bonds, and highly-ordered nature of clean interfaces between 2D materials have the potential to be superior to those founds in bulk materials.