Transconductance as a probe of valley thermodynamics in multilayer
Phys. Rev. B 114, 115403 – Published 5 August, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/xsr9-l7ll
Abstract
Transconductance is a central figure of merit in field-effect transistors, typically governed by charge accumulation and carrier mobility. In multilayer transistors, however, we show that the transconductance carries a nonlinear transport signature of intervalley carrier redistribution between the and valleys. This valley-crossover contribution suppresses transconductance in bilayer and reverses sign in trilayer, while remaining absent in single-valley systems. Unlike extrinsic mechanisms such as trap-state filling or contact resistance, the anomaly does not affect the subthreshold swing within this mechanism and cannot be reproduced within conventional single-valley transport models. Introducing the valley susceptibility , bounded by an intrinsic thermodynamic limit , we quantify this response and show that it reaches in bilayer near threshold at room temperature. The sign, magnitude, and temperature dependence of the anomaly provide directly measurable fingerprints of valley thermodynamics, establishing transconductance as an electrical probe of internal electronic degrees of freedom and revealing a primarily unexplored nonlinear response in standard transistor measurements.