Emerging p-type 2D AsP: ambient aging-driven electrical modulation via conduction path reconfiguration

Abstract

Developing high performance and air-stable p-type 2D semiconductors remains a key challenge in a field that is still largely focused on n-type materials. Arsenic-phosphorus (AsP), a promising p-type candidate with improved ambient stability over black phosphorus (BP), holds strong potential for practical device applications. Despite this stability, its degradation behavior has been rarely explored from both material and device perspectives. In this study, the ambient aging behavior of AsP nanosheets is first investigated. Subsequently, multilayer AsP transistors are fabricated to systematically examine their electrical characteristics under ambient conditions. Time-resolved physical and electrical analyses over 106 h demonstrate that oxidation enhances p-type conduction while degrading noise performance. Transconductance analysis and noise modeling based on the CNF and CNF-CMF model frameworks consistently reveal changes in the dominant conduction path. This modulation of the conduction path also significantly affects the overall electrical performance and effective trap density of the device. Furthermore, an inverter circuit constructed using air-exposed AsP transistors exhibits improved switching behavior and voltage gain, confirming its potential for practical application. These findings provide fundamental insight into the ambient behavior of the underexplored AsP transistor and establish a foundation for the development of high-performance p-type semiconductors for next-generation 2D CMOS circuits.