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Devices offer switching speeds greater than semiconducting counterparts. High-Tc superconducting field-effect transistors (SUPEFETs) investigated for use as electronic switches in delay-line-type microwave phase shifters. Resemble semiconductor field-effect transistors in some respects, but their operation based on different principle; namely, electric-field control of transition between superconductivity and normal conductivity.
Materials are provided for use as active emissive layers in organic electronic devices such as light-emitting filed effect transistors. Light-emitting transistors (LET) are an alternative to light-emitting diodes and have several important benefits, however, materials developed specifically for LET are quite scarce. Herein a new family of materials is disclosed that has been developed specifically for LET.
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Group-IV alloy GeSn is a promising material for electronic and optoelectronic applications due to its compatibility with both Si substrates and established Si fabrication processes. This study focuses on polycrystalline GeSn (10% Sn), which offers a cost-effective, large-area, and versatile alternative to epitaxial GeSn. We demonstrate ambipolar transport behavior in polycrystalline GeSn thin film transistors, achieving electron and hole field-effect mobilities reaching up to 0.05 cm 2 /Vs and 2.05 cm 2 /Vs, respectively. Through temperature-dependent analysis, we elucidate the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon, which we attribute to quantum tunneling between the Schottky barrier contact and the channel, as well as potential barriers between the grain boundaries of this polycrystalline film, thereby advancing the understanding of polycrystalline GeSn's electrical properties. Furthermore, this work highlights the potential of ambipolar transport as a technique to employ towards the development of GeSn complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors, promising to simplify and reduce the cost of GeSn manufacturing processes for edge computing and sensing applications.
Organic mixed ionic and electronic conductors are of significant interest for bioelectronic applications. Here, we use three different isoindigoid building blocks to obtain polymeric mixed conductors with vastly different structural and electronic properties which can be further fine-tuned through the choice of comonomer unit. We show how careful design of the isoindigoid scaffold can afford highly planar polymer structures with high degrees of electronic delocalization, while subtle structural modifications can control the dominant charge carrier (hole or electron) when probed in organic electrochemical transistors. We employ a combination of experimental and computational techniques to probe electrochemical, structural and mixed ionic and electronic properties of the polymer series which in turn allows us to derive important structure-property relations for this promising class of materials in the context of organic bioelectronics. Ultimately, we use these findings to outline robust molecular design strategies for isoindigo-based mixed conductors that can support efficient p-type, n-type and ambipolar transistor operation in an aqueous environment.
In the field of high-power electronics, gallium oxide (Ga 2 O 3 ) is attracting attention due to its wide band gap and ability to be doped n-type. Point defects, including vacancies, impurities, and dopants, play important roles in optimizing device performance. This tutorial discusses the fundamental properties of point defects in monoclinic β-Ga 2 O 3 and the methods employed to study them. Oxygen vacancies are deep donors that do not cause n-type conductivity but may compensate acceptors. Gallium vacancies are deep acceptors that can be partially passivated by hydrogen. Substitutional magnesium is a promising acceptor that produces semi-insulating material and also forms a complex with hydrogen. Calcium and iron also have deep acceptor levels. Iridium deep donors are introduced into crystals grown from a melt in an Ir crucible. Here, other defects are introduced by irradiation with energetic particles such as neutrons or protons. In addition to altering the electronic properties, defects give rise to UV/visible emission bands in photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence spectra.
Trisodium bismuthide (Na 3 Bi) is the first experimentally verified topological Dirac semimetal, and is a 3D analogue of graphene hosting relativistic Dirac fermions. Its unconventional momentum-energy relationship is interesting from a fundamental perspective, yielding exciting physical properties such as chiral charge carriers, the chiral anomaly, and weak anti-localization. It also shows promise for realizing topological electronic devices such as topological transistors. Herein, an overview of the substantial progress achieved in the last few years on Na 3 Bi is presented, with a focus on technologically relevant large-area thin films synthesized via molecular beam epitaxy. Key theoretical aspects underpinning the unique electronic properties of Na 3 Bi are introduced. Next, the growth process on different substrates is reviewed. Spectroscopic and microscopic features are illustrated, and an analysis of semiclassical and quantum transport phenomena in different doping regimes is provided. Furthermore, the emergent properties arising from confinement in two dimensions, including thickness-dependent and electric-field-driven topological phase transitions, are addressed, with an outlook toward current challenges and expected future progress.
Space radiation equivalences for permanent damage to silicon transistors by measuring changes in transistor parameters after exposure to proton, electron, and gamma ray irradiation
Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) help improve the performance of organic electronic devices through interface passivation and enhanced carrier transport. Yet, there is limited information regarding the chemical structure of the SAMs upon functionalization and subsequent thermal treatment. Here, we studied the on-surface reaction of carbazole-derived SAMs on model gold electrodes, focusing on the chemical structure changes induced by thermal treatments. Furthermore, we correlate the microscopic changes with their impact on the electrode’s work function. The carbazole-based SAMs first transform into organometallic complexes. At higher annealing temperatures, SAMs convert to oligomeric complexes. The observed chemical reactions significantly reduce the electrode work function and facilitate electron injection in n-type organic thin-film transistors. Our results highlight the on-surface synthesis of electronically active SAMs as an alternative approach for modifying the work function of electrodes for organic electronics.
Long-term exposure to Pb 2+ can cause irreversible damage to the nervous, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. Therefore, developing a fast and sensitive detection system capable of monitoring minuscule concentrations of Pb 2+ is essential. In this study, we demonstrated a fully portable sensor system enabling rapid, sensitive, and real-time monitoring of Pb 2+ . The sensor system adopted the remote-gate field-effect transistor (RGFET) detection scheme and was easy to operate, even for non-experts. The sensor system comprised two printed circuit boards (PCBs): a sensor PCB with a remote-gate electrode and an analyzer PCB with a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) transducer and peripheral electronics to manage sensor signals. To achieve a high sensitivity for Pb 2+ , we utilized graphene ink drop-casted on the sensor PCB as a sensing membrane. The graphene film was easy to deposit and remove, enabling the sensor PCB to be reused multiple times. The sensor system was further linked to a smartphone application that instantly monitors the sensor response, allowing for rapid point-of-use detection. The sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 21.7% when the limit of detection (LOD) value of 1 nM (∼0.2 ppb) was detected, and the typical detection time for each sample was approximately 60 seconds. This portable sensor system advances sensing technologies and could potentially supplement expensive, laborious conventional sensing equipment.
Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor circuit development and laminated electronic packaging for computer storage devices
The results of an initial effort to model the control loops of a 30-cm diameter electron bombardment thruster and a transistorized power processor predicting its operation were described. Data from which the model is made is presented as well as comparisons between the computer outputs and test data from the JPL Solar Electric Propulsion systems laboratory.
Significant advances in the development of high electron-mobility field-effect transistors (HEMT's) have resulted in cryogenic, low-noise amplifiers (LNA's) whose noise temperatures are within an order of magnitude of the quantum noise limit (hf/k). Further advances in HEMT technology at cryogenic temperatures may eventually lead to the replacement of maser and superconducting insulator superconducting front ends in the 1- to 100-GHz frequency band. Key to identification of the best HEMT's and optimization of cryogenic LNA's are accurate and repeatable device measurements at cryogenic temperatures. This article describes the design and operation of a cryogenic coplanar waveguide probe system for the characterization and modeling of advanced semiconductor transistors at cryogenic temperatures. Results on advanced HEMT devices are presented to illustrate the utility of the measurement system.
GeSn is an emerging material with potential applications in next‐generation integrated optoelectronics and quantum information processing. While GeSn/SiGeSn quantum wells exhibit promising optical properties, their electrical transport characteristics and governing electrostatics in gated structures remain unexplored. Heterostructure field‐effect transistors are fabricated using GeSn/SiGeSn quantum wells and electronic transport properties of 2D holes are characterized. At 2 K, heterostructure field‐effect transistors with well/barrier compositions of Ge 0.945 Sn 0.055 /Si 0.03 Ge 0.93 Sn 0.04 and Ge 0.9 Sn 0.1 /Si 0.017 Ge 0.927 Sn 0.056 , show peak mobilities of 9000 and 19 000 cm 2 /Vs, respectively, the latter setting a record for the highest mobility reported for GeSn quantum wells with a Sn concentration around 6 % or greater. Remarkably, at low carrier densities, devices with a SiGeSn barrier exhibit mobilities several times higher than previously reported for GeSn quantum wells with a Ge barrier. This higher mobility contrasts with the expectation that alloy scattering from the barrier would reduce carrier mobility. Two mechanisms based on atom probe tomography data analyses are proposed: i) unintentionally improved SiGeSn/GeSn interface and/or ii) reduced alloy scattering from short‐range order. Significant current–voltage hysteresis is observed, with the effective threshold gate voltage shifting by more than 5 V, attributed to non‐equilibrium trapped charge at various interfaces within the SiGeSn heterostructure.
Advanced radar and communication systems rely heavily on state-of-the-art microelectronics. Systems such as the phased-array radar require many transmit/receive (T/R) modules which are made up of many millimeter wave - microwave integrated circuits (MMIC's). The heart of a MMIC chip is the Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) field-effect transistor (FET). The transistor gate length is the critical feature that determines the operating frequency of the radar system. A smaller gate length will typically result in a higher frequency. In order to make a phased array radar system economically feasible, manufacturers must be capable of producing very large quantities of small-gate-length MMIC chips at a relatively low cost per chip. This requires the processing of a large number of wafers with a large number of chips per wafer, minimum processing time, and a very high chip yield. One of the bottlenecks in the fabrication of MIMIC chips is the transistor gate definition. The definition of sub-half-micron gates for GaAs-based field-effect transistors is generally performed by direct-write electron beam lithography (EBL). Because of the throughput limitations of EBL, the gate-layer fabrication is conventionally divided into two lithographic processes where EBL is used to generate the gate fingers and optical lithography is used to generate the large-area gate pads and interconnects. As a result, two complete sequences of resist application, exposure, development, metallization and lift-off are required for the entire gate structure. We have baselined a hybrid process, referred to as EBOL (electron beam/optical lithography), in which a single application of a multi-level resist is used for both exposures. The entire gate structure, (gate fingers, interconnects and pads), is then formed with a single metallization and lift-off process. The EBOL process thus retains the advantages of the high-resolution E-beam lithography and the high throughput of optical lithography while essentially eliminating an entire lithography/metallization/lift-off process sequence. This technique has been proven to be reliable for both trapezoidal and mushroom gates and has been successfully applied to metal-semiconductor and high-electron-mobility field-effect transistor (MESFET and HEMT) wafers containing devices with gate lengths down to 0.10 micron and 75 x 75 micron gate pads. The yields and throughput of these wafers have been very high with no loss in device performance. We will discuss the entire EBOL process technology including the multilayer resist structure, exposure conditions, process sensitivities, metal edge definition, device results, comparison to the standard gate-layer process, and its suitability for manufacturing.
Future NASA, DOD, and commercial products will require electronic circuits that have greater functionality and versatility but occupy less space and cost less money to build and integrate than current products. System on a Chip (SOAC), a single semiconductor substrate containing circuits that perform many functions or containing an entire system, is widely recognized as the best technology for achieving low-cost, small-sized systems. Thus, a circuit technology is required that can gather, process, store, and transmit data or communications. Since silicon-integrated circuits are already used for data processing and storage and the infrastructure that supports silicon circuit fabrication is very large, it is sensible to develop communication circuits on silicon so that all the system functions can be integrated onto a single wafer. Until recently, silicon integrated circuits did not function well at the frequencies required for wireless or microwave communications, but with the introduction of small amounts of germanium into the silicon to make silicon-germanium (SiGe) transistors, silicon-based communication circuits are possible. Although microwavefrequency SiGe circuits have been demonstrated, there has been difficulty in obtaining the high power from their transistors that is required for the amplifiers of a transmitter, and many researchers have thought that this could not be done. The NASA Glenn Research Center and collaborators at the University of Michigan have developed SiGe transistors and amplifiers with state-of-the-art output power at microwave frequencies from 8 to 20 GHz. These transistors are fabricated using standard silicon processing and may be integrated with CMOS integrated circuits on a single chip. A scanning electron microscope image of a typical SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor is shown in the preceding photomicrograph. This transistor achieved a record output power of 550 mW and an associated power-added efficiency of 33 percent at 8.4 GHz, as shown. Record performance was also demonstrated at 12.6 and 18 GHz. Developers have combined these state-of-the-art transistors with transmission lines and micromachined passive circuit components, such as inductors and capacitors, to build multistage amplifiers. Currently, a 1-W, 8.4-GHz power amplifier is being built for NASA deep space communication architectures.
Three double-heterojunction modulation-doped field-effect transistor structures with different channel composition are investigated theoretically. All of these transistors have an In(x)Ga(1-x)As channel sandwiched between two doped Al(0.3)Ga(0.7)As barriers with undoped spacer layers. In one of the structures, x varies from 0 from either heterojunction to 0.15 at the center of the channel quadratically; in the other two, constant values of x of 0 and 0.15 are used. The Poisson and Schroedinger equations are solved self-consistently for the electron wave function in all three cases. The results showed that the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) concentration in the channel of the quadratically graded structure is higher than the x = 0 one and slightly lower than the x = 0.15 one, and the mean distance of the 2DEG is closer to the center of the channel for this transistor than the other two. These two effects have important implications on the electron mobility in the channel.
Organic semiconducting polymers are exciting materials for electronic applications because of their good mechanical and optoelectronic properties. A major advantage of organic semiconductors is their solution processability. This allows access to a variety of simple and cost-effective device fabrication methods compared to the expensive, high-temperature processing methods required for silicon-based electronics. However, these materials often have low solubility, which limits their processing to toxic halogenated solvents. Also, their limited solubility often leads to interfacial mixing during device fabrication. Herein, this work explores the incorporation of environmentally friendly carbohydrate side chains in conjugated polymers to enhance processability in eco-friendly solvents. Moreover, a mild postprocessing treatment was designed to enable solvent resistance. Isoindigo-based polymers with varied ratios of acetyl-protected galactose side chains were synthesized to improve solubility in o-anisole in the protected state, while inducing solvent resistance through intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the deprotected state. Solvent resistance was confirmed both visually upon submersion in various solvents and using UV–visible spectroscopy. Importantly, the mild basic treatment to achieve solvent resistance has no negative impact on the electronic performance of these materials in organic field-effect transistors, even after subsequent submersion in various solvents, making them a valuable platform for the production of green processable multilayer electronics.