Edsger C. P. Smits

Reconfigurable Complementary Logic Circuits with Ambipolar Organic Transistors

Ambipolar organic electronics offer great potential for simple and low-cost fabrication of complementary logic circuits on large-area and mechanically flexible substrates. Ambipolar transistors are ideal candidates for the simple and low-cost development of complementary logic circuits since they can operate as n-type and p-type transistors. Nevertheless, the experimental demonstration of ambipolar organic complementary circuits is limited to inverters. The control of the transistor polarity is crucial for proper circuit operation. Novel gating techniques enable to control the transistor polarity but result in dramatically reduced performances. Here we show high-performance non-planar ambipolar organic transistors with electrical control of the polarity and orders of magnitude higher performances with respect to state-of-art split-gate ambipolar transistors. Electrically reconfigurable complementary logic gates based on ambipolar organic transistors are experimentally demonstrated, thus opening up new opportunities for ambipolar organic complementary electronics.

Dual-Gate Thin-Film Transistors, Integrated Circuits and Sensors

The first dual-gate thin-film transistor (DGTFT) was reported in 1981 with CdSe as the semiconductor. Other TFT technologies such as a-Si:H and organic semiconductors have led to additional ways of making DGTFTs. DGTFTs contain a second gate dielectric with a second gate positioned opposite of the first gate. The main advantage is that the threshold voltage can be set as a function of the applied second gate bias. The shift depends on the ratio of the capacitances of the two gate dielectrics. Here we review the fast growing field of DGTFTs. We summarize the reported operational mechanisms, and the application in logic gates and integrated circuits. The second emerging application of DGTFTs is sensitivity enhancement of existing ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFET). The reported sensing mechanism is discussed and an outlook is presented.

Upscaling, integration and electrical characterization of molecular junctions

The ultimate target of molecular electronics is to combine different types of functional molecules into integrated circuits, preferably through an autonomous self-assembly process. Charge transport through self-assembled monolayers has been investigated previously, but problems remain with reliability, stability and yield, preventing further progress in the integration of discrete molecular junctions. Here we present a technology to simultaneously fabricate over 20,000 molecular junctions-each consisting of a gold bottom electrode, a self-assembled alkanethiol monolayer, a conducting polymer layer and a gold top electrode-on a single 150-mm wafer. Their integration is demonstrated in strings where up to 200 junctions are connected in series with a yield of unity. The statistical analysis on these molecular junctions, for which the processing parameters were varied and the influence on the junction resistance was measured, allows for the tentative interpretation that the perpendicular electrical transport through these monolayer junctions is factorized.

Beyond the Nernst-limit with dual-gate ZnO ion-sensitive field-effect transistors

The sensitivity of conventional ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) is limited to 59 mV/pH, which is the maximum detectable change in electrochemical potential according to the Nernst equation. Here we demonstrate a transducer based on a ZnO dual-gate field-effect transistor that breaches this boundary. To enhance the response to the pH of the electrolyte, a self-assembled monolayer has been used as a top gate dielectric. The sensitivity scales linearly with the ratio between the top and bottom gate capacitances. The sensitivity of our ZnO ISFET of 22 mV/pH is enhanced by more than two orders of magnitude up to 2.25 V/pH.

Mechanical and Electronic Properties of Thin-Film Transistors on Plastic, and Their Integration in Flexible Electronic Applications

The increasing interest in flexible electronics and flexible displays raises questions regarding the inherent mechanical properties of the electronic materials used. Here, the mechanical behavior of thin-film transistors used in active-matrix displays is considered. The change of electrical performance of thin-film semiconductor materials under mechanical stress is studied, including amorphous oxide semiconductors. This study comprises an experimental part, in which transistor structures are characterized under different mechanical loads, as well as a theoretical part, in which the changes in energy band structures in the presence of stress and strain are investigated. The performance of amorphous oxide semiconductors are compared to reported results on organic semiconductors and covalent semiconductors, i.e., amorphous silicon and polysilicon. In order to compare the semiconductor materials, it is required to include the influence of the other transistor layers on the strain profile. The bending limits are investigated, and shown to be due to failures in the gate dielectric and/or the contacts. Design rules are proposed to minimize strain in transistor stacks and in transistor arrays. Finally, an overview of the present and future applications of flexible thin-film transistors is given, and the suitability of the different material classes for those applications is assessed.

Transport Physics and Device Modeling of Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Transistors Part I: Long-Channel Devices

Thin-film transistors (TFTs), which use zinc oxide (ZnO) as an active layer, were fabricated and investigated in detail. The transport properties of ZnO deposited by spray pyrolysis (SP) on a TFT structure are studied in a wide range of temperatures, electrical conditions (i.e., subthreshold, above-threshold linear, and saturation regions), and at different channel lengths. It is shown that ZnO deposited by SP is a nanocrystalline material; its field-effect mobility is temperature activated and increases with carrier concentration. On the basis of this analysis, we propose the multiple-trapping-and-release (MTR)-transport mechanism to describe the charge transport in ZnO. By means of numerical simulations, we prove that MTR is a suitable approach, and we calculate the density of states. We show that the tail states extend in a wide range of energy and that they strongly influence the transport properties. Finally, an analytical physical-based DC model is proposed and validated with experiments and numerical simulations. The model is able to reproduce the measurements on devices with different channel length in a wide range of bias voltages and temperatures by means of a restricted number of parameters, which are linked directly to the physical properties of the ZnO semiconductor. For the first time, the charge transport in the ZnO is investigated by means of the MTR, and a consistent analysis based on experiments, numerical simulations, and analytical modeling is provided.

Low-voltage gallium–indium–zinc–oxide thin film transistors based logic circuits on thin plastic foil: Building blocks for radio frequency identification application

In this work a technology to fabricate low-voltage amorphous gallium-indium-zinc oxide thin film transistors (TFTs) based integrated circuits on 25 µm foils is presented. High performance TFTs were fabricated at low processing temperatures (<150 °C) with field effect mobility around 17 cm2 /V s. The technology is demonstrated with circuit building blocks relevant for radio frequency identification applications such as high-frequency functional code generators and efficient rectifiers. The integration level is about 300 transistors.

Origin of multiple memory states in organic ferroelectric field-effect transistors

In this work, we investigate the ferroelectric polarization state in metal-ferroelectric-semiconductor-metal structures and in ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFET). Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) and pentacene was used as the ferroelectric and semiconductor, respectively. This material combination in a bottom gate—top contact transistor architecture exhibits three reprogrammable memory states by applying appropriate gate voltages. Scanning Kelvin probe microscopy in conjunction with standard electrical characterization techniques reveals the state of the ferroelectric polarization in the three memory states as well as the device operation of the FeFET.

Ambipolar Organic Tri-Gate Transistor for Low-Power Complementary Electronics

Ambipolar transistors typically suffer from large off-current inherently due to ambipolar conduction. Using a tri-gate transistor it is shown that it is possible to electrostatically switch ambipolar polymer transistors from ambipolar to unipolar mode. In unipolar mode, symmetric characteristics with an on/off current ratio of larger than 10(5) are obtained. This enables easy integration into low-power complementary logic and volatile electronic memories.

Transport Physics and Device Modeling of Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Transistors—Part II: Contact Resistance in Short Channel Devices

Short-channel zinc oxide (ZnO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) are investigated in a wide range of temperatures and bias conditions. Scaling down the channel length, the TFT performance is seriously affected by contact resistances, which depend on gate voltage and temperature. To account for the contact resistances, the transistor is ideally split in three parts. The contact regions are modeled as two separate transistors with a fixed channel length and an exponential distribution of localized states, whereas the channel is treated as reported in Part I. The overall model reproduces the measured characteristics at different channel length, with a single set of physical and geometrical parameters. It can be readily implemented in a circuit simulator. Numerical simulations confirm the validity of the model approach and are used to evaluate the impact of nonidealities at the electrode/semiconductor interface.