Ion-gated Transistors Research Articles

Electrically induced insulator-to-metal transition in InP-based ion-gated transistor

With the growing awareness of energy savings and consumption for a sustainable ecosystem, the concept of iontronics, that is, controlling electronic devices with ions, has become critically important. Composite devices made of ions and solid materials have been investigated for diverse applications, ranging from energy storage to power generation, memory, biomimetics, and neuromorphic devices. In these studies, three terminal transistor configurations with liquid electrolytes have often been utilized because of their simple device structures and relatively easy fabrication processes. To date, oxide semiconductors and layered materials have mainly been used as active materials. However, inorganic compound semiconductors, which have a long history of basic and applied research, hardly function as channel materials in ion-gated transistors, partly because of the Schottky barrier at the electrode interface. Herein, we show that a typical group III–V compound semiconductor, InP, is available as a high-performance channel for ion-gated transistors with an on/off current ratio of ≈ 105 and a subthreshold swing as small as 93 mV/dec at room temperature. We fabricated AuGe/Ni contact electrodes via annealing to obtain the Ohmic contacts over a wide temperature range. The electrical resistance of InP was drastically decreased by the ionic liquid gating, which led to an electrically induced insulator-to-metal transition. Bulk compound semiconductors are well characterized and have relatively high carrier mobilities; thus, devices combined with electrolytes should prompt the development of iontronics research for novel device functionalities.

Neuromorphic Nanoionics for Human-Machine Interaction: From Materials to Applications.

Human-machine interaction (HMI) technology has undergone significant advancements in recent years, enabling seamless communication between humans and machines. Its expansion has extended into various emerging domains, including human healthcare, machine perception, and biointerfaces, thereby magnifying the demand for advanced intelligent technologies. Neuromorphic computing, a paradigm rooted in nanoionic devices that emulate the operations and architecture of the human brain, has emerged as a powerful tool for highly efficient information processing. This paper delivers a comprehensive review of recent developments in nanoionic device-based neuromorphic computing technologies and their pivotal role in shaping the next-generation of HMI. Through a detailed examination of fundamental mechanisms and behaviors, the paper explores the ability of nanoionic memristors and ion-gated transistors to emulate the intricate functions of neurons and synapses. Crucial performance metrics, such as reliability, energy efficiency, flexibility, and biocompatibility, are rigorously evaluated. Potential applications, challenges, and opportunities of using the neuromorphic computing technologies in emerging HMI technologies, are discussed and outlooked, shedding light on the fusion of humans with machines.

All-Photolithography Fabrication of Ion-Gated Flexible Organic Transistor Array for Multimode Neuromorphic Computing.

Organic ion-gated transistors (OIGTs) demonstrate commendable performance for versatile neuromorphic systems. However, due to the fragility of organic materials to organic solvents, efficient and reliable all-photolithography methods for scalable manufacturing of high-density OIGT arrays with multimode neuromorphic functions are still missing, especially when all active layers are patterned in high-density. Here, a flexible high-density (9662 devices per cm2) OIGT array with high yield and minimal device-to-device variation is fabricated by a modified all-photolithography method. The unencapsulated flexible array can withstand 1000 times' bending at a radius of 1mm, and 3 months' storage test in air, without obvious performance degradation. More interesting, the OIGTs can be configured between volatile and nonvolatile modes, suitable for constructing reservoir computing systems to achieve high accuracy in classifying handwritten digits with low training costs. This work proposes a promising design of organic and flexible electronics for affordable neuromorphic systems, encompassing both array and algorithm aspects.

A study of the doping process in Li4Ti5O12 and TiO2 battery electrode materials studied in the ion-gated transistor configuration

Ion-gated transistors using films of Li4Ti5O12 and TiO2 battery electrode materials interfaced with the ionic liquid [EMIM][TFSI] and the salt LiTFSI to study the doping mechanism during lithiation/delithiation considering possible structural changes.

Exploring response time and synaptic plasticity in P3HT ion-gated transistors for neuromorphic computing: impact of P3HT molecular weight and film thickness

Response time and plasticity of P3HT-IGTs can be controlled by engineering input stimuli, P3HT molecular weight and channel thickness.

Effects of Mg Doping to a LiCoO2 Channel on the Synaptic Plasticity of Li Ion-Gated Transistors.

Artificial synapses with ideal functionalities are essential in hardware neural networks to allow for energy-efficient analog computing. However, the realization of linear and symmetric weight updates in real synaptic devices has proven challenging and ultimately limits the online training capabilities of neural network systems. Herein, we investigate the effect of Mg doping on a LiCoO2 (LCO) channel in a Li ion-gated synaptic transistor, so as to improve long-term and short-term plasticity. Two transistor structures, based on a lithium phosphorus oxynitride electrolyte, were examined by using undoped LCO and Mg-doped LCO as the channel material between the source and drain electrodes. It was found that Mg doping increased the initial channel conductance by 3 orders of magnitude, which is probably due to the substitution of Co3+ by Mg2+ and the compensation of hole creation. It was further found that the doped channel transistor showed good retention characteristics and better linearity of long-term potentiation and depression when voltage pulses were applied to the gate electrode. The improved retention and linearity are attributed to an extended range of the insulator-to-conductor transition by Mg doping and Li-ion extraction/insertion cooperated in the LCO channel. Using the obtained synaptic weight update, artificial neural network simulations demonstrated that the doped channel transistor shows an image recognition accuracy of ∼80% for handwritten digits, which is higher than ∼65% exhibited by the undoped channel transistor. Mg doping also improved short-term plasticity such as paired-pulse facilitation/depression and Hebbian spike timing-dependent plasticity. These results indicate that elemental doping to the channel of Li ion-gated synaptic transistors could be a useful procedure for realizing robust neuromorphic systems based on analog computing.

Metal oxide ion-gated transistors: A perspective on in operando characterizations and emerging Li-ion-based applications

Metal oxide ion-gated transistors: A perspective on in operando characterizations and emerging Li-ion-based applications

On the factors affecting the response time of synaptic ion-gated transistors

Response time and plasticity of P3HT-IGTs can be controlled by engineering input stimuli. IGTs can be employed as neuromorphic devices integrating memory (LTP) and processing functions (STP) in the same device, as a function of biasing conditions.

Wearable bioelectronic masks for wireless detection of respiratory infectious diseases by gaseous media

Respiratory infectious diseases (H1N1, H5N1, COVID-19, etc.) are pandemics that can continually spread in the air through micro-droplets or aerosols. However, the detection of samples in gaseous media is hampered by the requirement for trace amounts and low concentrations. Here, we develop a wearable bioelectronic mask device integrated with ion-gated transistors. Based on the sensitive gating effect of ion gels, our aptamer-functionalized transistors can measure trace-level liquid samples (0.3 μL) and even gaseous media samples at an ultra-low concentration (0.1 fg/mL). The ion-gated transistor with multi-channel analysis can respond to multiple targets simultaneously within as fast as 10 min, especially without sample pretreatment. Integrating a wireless internet of things system enables the wearable mask to achieve real-time and on-site detection of the surrounding air, providing an alert before infection. The wearable bioelectronic masks hold promise to serve as an early warning system to prevent outbreaks of respiratory infectious diseases.

Solution-Processed Titanium Dioxide Ion-Gated Transistors and Their Application for pH Sensing

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is an abundant metal oxide, widely used in food industry, cosmetics, medicine, water treatment and electronic devices. TiO2 is of interest for next-generation indium-free thin-film transistors and ion-gated transistors due to its tunable optoelectronic properties, ambient stability, and solution processability. In this work, we fabricated TiO2 films using a wet chemical approach and demonstrated their transistor behavior with room temperature ionic liquids and aqueous electrolytes. In addition, we demonstrated the pH sensing behavior of the TiO2 IGTs with a sensitivity of ∼48 mV/pH. Furthermore, we demonstrated a low temperature (120°C), solution processed TiO2-based IGTs on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates, which were stable under moderate tensile bending.

Detection of H2 facilitated by ionic liquid gating of tungsten oxide films

Molecular hydrogen (H2) shows promise as a future renewable energy carrier. However, due to safety concerns, its reliable detection in different atmospheres is an important issue. Here, we propose a hydrogen sensor based on ion-gated transistors exploiting the interface between tungsten oxide and ionic liquids. Two different approaches to gas sensors (metal oxide gas sensor and ionic liquid-based electrochemical sensor) are integrated in a single device. We demonstrate that ionic liquid gating enhances the effect of H2 on the tungsten oxide transistor channel. The transistor current response permits the detection of H2 in an O2-free environment with the device operating in room temperature. After H2 sensing, the initial properties of the tungsten oxide channel can be recovered by exposure to O2.

Flexible organic ion-gated transistors with low operating voltage and light-sensing application

Ion-gated transistors are attracting significant attention due to their low operating voltage (<1 V) and modulation of charge carrier density by ion-gating media. Here we report flexible organic ion-gated transistors based on the high mobility donor–acceptor conjugated copolymer poly[4-(4,4-dihexadecyl 4H-cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b′]-dithiophen-2-yl)-alt[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4c]pyridine](PCDTPT) and the ionic liquid [1-ethyl-3 methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide] as the ion-gating medium. Electrical characteristics of devices made on both [rigid (SiO2/Si) and flexible (polyimide (PI))] substrates showed very similar values of hole mobility (∼1 cm2 V−1 s−1) and ON–OFF ratio (∼105). Flexible ion-gated transistors showed good mechanical stability at different bending curvature radii and under repetitive bending cycles. The mobility of flexible ion-gated transistors remained almost unchanged upon bending. After 1000 bending cycles the mobility decreased by 20% of its initial value. Flexible photodetectors based on PCDTPT ion-gated transistors showed photosensitivity and photoresponsivity values of 0.4 and 93 AW−1.

Ion‐Gated Transistor: An Enabler for Sensing and Computing Integration

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things, the amount of data we involved in our daily life is growing exponentially, which poses significant challenges for data processing and transmission to the conventional terminal sensors that passively acquire external data. Inspired by biological sensory nervous systems, building artificial intelligent sensory systems with both sensing and computing capability is regarded as a promising way to address these challenges, by which the acquired data can be preprocessed locally and timely before transmitting them to the remote server for further processing. Ion‐gated transistors (IGTs), which have been widely used in sensors and have been recently investigated for neuromorphic computing, exhibit great potential in this domain. Herein, the essential operation principles, device structures, and electrical characteristics of IGT are introduced, and the recent developments in biosensors, neuromorphic computing, and intelligent sensors with near‐sensor computing and in‐sensor computing modes are summarized. To conclude, the current challenges and future development of IGT for intelligent sensory systems are presented.

Flexible Ion-Gated Transistors Making Use of Poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT): Effect of the Molecular Weight on the Effectiveness of Gating and Device Performance

Poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) is a benchmark semiconducting polymer in organic electronics. Ion-gated transistors (IGTs), making use of ionic gating media, are particularly interesting for flexible and printable␣organic electronic applications. The molecular weight of P3HT is known to affect the morphology and structure of the corresponding films and, ultimately, the performance of devices based thereon. Here we report on IGTs based on films of P3HT with different molecular weights (∼ 20 kDa, 30–50 kDa and 80–90 kDa) and, as the gating medium, the well-investigated ionic liquid [EMIM][TFSI], to investigate the effects of the film morphological and structural properties on charge carrier transport and, eventually, IGT performance. P3HT films were deposited over rigid (SiO2/Si) and flexible (polyimide) substrates. All the P3HT IGTs could be operated at low voltage (about 1 V) and achieved a hole mobility larger than 0.1 cm2 V−1 s−1, pointing to the extremely favorable [EMIM][TFSI]/P3HT interface for IGT applications, for all the molecular weights investigated. We finally investigated the stability of flexible devices considering two different bending radii (R = 10 mm and R = 5 mm).

Ion-gated transistors based on porous and compact TiO2 films: Effect of Li ions in the gating medium

Ion-gated transistors (IGTs) are attractive for chemo- and bio-sensing, wearable electronics, and bioelectronics, because of their ability to act as ion/electron converters and their low operating voltages (e.g., below 1 V). Metal oxides are of special interest as transistor channel materials in IGTs due to their high mobility, chemical stability, and the ease of processing in air at relatively low temperatures (&amp;lt;350 °C). Titanium dioxide is an abundant material that can be used as a channel material in n-type IGTs. In this work, we investigate the role of the morphology of the TiO2 channel (porous vs compact films) and the size of the cations in the gating media ([EMIM][TFSI] and [Li][TFSI] dissolved in [EMIM][TFSI]) to study their role on the electrical characteristics of IGTs. We found that both the film morphology and the type of gating medium highly affect the electrical response of the devices.

Structure of the Electrical Double Layer at the Interface between an Ionic Liquid and Tungsten Oxide in Ion-Gated Transistors.

The structure of electrical double layers at electrified interfaces is of utmost importance for electrochemical energy storage as well as printable, flexible, and bioelectronic devices, such as ion-gated transistors (IGTs). Here we report a study based on atomic force microscopy force-distance profiling on electrical double layers forming at the interface between the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and sol-gel films of mesoporous tungsten oxide. We successfully followed, under in operando conditions, the evolution of the arrangement of the ions at the interface with the tungsten oxide films used as channel materials in IGTs. Our work sheds light on the mechanism of operation of IGTs, thus offering the possibility of optimizing their performance.

Ambipolar device simulation based on the drift-diffusion model in ion-gated transition metal dichalcogenide transistors

Ionic gating is known as a powerful tool for investigation of electronic functionalities stemming from low voltage transistor operation to gate-induced electronic phase control including superconductivity. Two-dimensional (2D) material is one of the archetypal channel materials which exhibit a variety of gate-induced phenomena. Nevertheless, the device simulations on such ion-gated transistor devices have never been reported, despite its importance for the future design of device structures. In this paper, we developed a drift-diffusion (DD) model on a 2D material, WSe2 monolayer, attached with an ionic liquid, and succeeded in simulating the transport properties, potential profile, carrier density distributions in the transistor configuration. In particular, the simulation explains the ambipolar behavior with the gate voltage comparable to the band gap energy, as well as the formation of p-n junctions in the channel reported in several experimental papers. Such peculiar behavior becomes possible by the dramatic change of the potential profiles at the Schottky barrier by the ionic gating. The present result indicates that the DD model coupled to the Poisson equation is a fascinating platform to explain and predict further functionalities of ion-gated transistors through including the spin, valley, and optical degrees of freedom.

Ionically Modified Cellulose Nanocrystal Self-Assembled Films with a Mesoporous Twisted Superstructure: Polarizability and Application in Ion-Gated Transistors

Mesoporous structures made of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and their self-assembly into films are of great interest not only due to their abundancy and sustainability but also due to their ease of...

Tungsten oxide ion-gated phototransistors using ionic liquid and aqueous gating media

Ion-gated transistors employ ionic gating media (e.g. ionic liquids, polymer electrolytes, aqueous saline solutions) to modulate the density of the charge carriers in the transistor channel. Not only they operate at low voltages (ca 0.5–1 V) but they can also feature printability, flexibility and easy integration with chemo- and bio-sensing platforms. Metal oxides are transistor channel materials interesting for their processability in air, at low temperature. Among metal oxides, tungsten oxide (band gap ca 2.5–2.7 eV) stands out for its electrochromic, gas sensing and photocatalytic properties. Here we demonstrate ion-gated tungsten oxide transistors and phototransistors working in different ion gating media, such as one hydrophobic ionic liquid and an aqueous electrolyte, fabricated both on rigid and flexible substrates. Ion-gated tungsten oxide phototransistors operating in aqueous media could be used as photocatalytic sensors in portable applications.