Low voltage tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) and method of making same

A low voltage tunnel field effect transistor includes a p-n tunnel junction, a gate-dielectric, a gate, a source-contact, and a drain-contact. The p-n tunnel junction includes a depletion region interfacing together a source-layer and a drain-layer. The depletion region includes a source-tunneling-region of the source-layer and a drain-tunneling-region of the drain-layer. When no external electric field is imposed, the depletion region of the p-n tunnel junction has an internal electric field that substantially points towards the source-tunneling-region and the drain-tunneling-region. The gate-dielectric is interfaced directly onto the drain-tunneling-region such that the drain-tunneling-region is between the source-tunneling-region and the gate-dielectric. The gate is interfaced onto the gate-dielectric such that the gate is configured to impose an external electric field which is oriented substantially in parallel to the internal electric field of the depletion region.