Vertical tunneling transistors—in which the channel length is determined by the thickness of the semiconductor—are of interest in the development of next-generation high-density and low-power electronic devices. However, owing to nonideal metal semiconductor interfaces, the majority tunneling carrier type and device polarity are largely fixed, posing a key limitation for the achievement of complementary tunneling transistors for practical application. Here, we demonstrate complementary tunneling behaviors in vertical heterostructures using ultrathin $\mathrm{BN}$ as a tunneling barrier and damage-free van der Waals metal as the top contact. In this device, the dedicated lattice and intrinsic properties of $\mathrm{BN}$ can be retained. Moreover, the interface of $\mathrm{Au}/\mathrm{BN}$ is atomically clean and electronically sharp, minimizing the Fermi-level pinning effect. Thus, we demonstrate a highly designable tunneling transistor, where the majority carrier type can be switched from electrons to holes (from n type to p type) by external bias voltage. Our work not only demonstrates the switchable tunneling polarity in vertical heterostructures, but also provides a comprehensive understanding of the tunneling mechanism for high-performance vertical tunneling transistors.

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• Electrical properties
• Boron nitride
• Graphene
• Nanotechnology
• Semiconductor compounds
• Transistors
• Tunnel junctions
• van der Waals systems