Source-drain Electrodes Research Articles

Improvement of N-type carbon nanotube field effect transistor performance using the combination of yttrium diffusion layer in HfO2 dielectrics and metal contacts.

In this paper, we obtained n-type top-gate carbon nanotube thin film field effect transistors (CNTFET) with source/drain extensions structure through dielectrics optimization strategy, combining the yttrium layer with HfO2 dielectric argon annealing process and metal contacts. The mechanism for enhanced n-type conduction was explained as being due to the vertical diffusion of yttrium to the HfO2 dielectric during argon annealing. This diffusion causes abending of the energy band, which results in more positive fixed charges and a reduction in the electron injection barrier between the low work function source-drain Cr electrode and carbon nanotube. The optimized technology has great prospects for the low cost, large scale and high performance n-type CNTFET to be used in integrated electronic devices.&#xD.

Ammonia gas sensors based on multi-wall carbon nanofiber field effect transistors by using gate modulation

Ammonia gas sensors play a critical role in environmental monitoring and healthcare applications due to the harmful effects of ammonia exposure. In this study, I present a novel approach to ammonia detection using field-effect transistors (FETs) based on Multi-Wall Carbon Nanofibers (MWCNFs), known for their outstanding electrical properties. I fabricate and characterize MWCNF-FET sensors, utilizing interdigitated Source-Drain electrodes directly deposited onto aligned semiconducting MWCNFs. By systematically investigating the effect of gate bias on sensor performance, I demonstrate that applying a positive gate voltage enhances the sensor's gas response by up to 55 % across varying concentrations of ammonia. Additionally, I show that appropriate gate modulation significantly improves the device's reversibility, ensuring reliable, repeatable measurements. These findings highlight the potential of MWCNF-FETs in developing high-performance, gate-tunable ammonia gas sensors for real-world applications.

Conjugated Polymer-Based Photo-Crosslinker for Efficient Photo-Patterning of Polymer Semiconductors.

Photo-patterning of polymer semiconductors using photo-crosslinkers has shown potential for organic circuit fabrication via solution processing techniques. However, the performance of patterning, including resolution (R), UV light exposure dose, sensitivity (S), and contrast (γ), remains unsatisfactory. In this study, a novel conjugated polymer based photo-crosslinker (PN3, Figure 1a) is reported for the first time, which entails phenyl-substituted azide groups in its side chains. Due to the potential π-π interactions between the conjugated backbone of PN3 and those of polymer semiconductors, PN3 exhibits superior miscibility with polymer semiconductors compared to the commonly used small molecule photo-crosslinker 4Bx (Figure 1a). Consequently, photo-patterning of polymer semiconductors with PN3 demonstrates improved performance with much lower UV light exposure dose, higher S and higher γ compared to 4Bx. By utilizing electron beam lithography, patterned arrays of polymer semiconductors with resolutions down to 500nm and clearer edges are successfully fabricated using PN3. Furthermore, patterned arrays of PDPP4T, the p-type semiconductor (Figure 1b), after being doped, can function as source-drain electrodes for fabricating field-effect transistors (FETs) with comparable charge mobility and significantly lower sub-threshold swing value compared to those with gold electrodes.

Enhancement of Photosensitivity in a Low-Operating-Voltage Organic–Inorganic Bilayer Thin-Film Transistor by Using an Asymmetric Source–Drain Electrode

Enhancement of Photosensitivity in a Low-Operating-Voltage Organic–Inorganic Bilayer Thin-Film Transistor by Using an Asymmetric Source–Drain Electrode

Enhancement-mode ZnGa2O4-based Phototransistor with high UV–visible rejection ratio grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

In this study, a high-crystallinity zinc gallium oxide (ZnGa2O4) epilayer of about 80 nm thickness was successfully grown using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate the quality of the epilayer. Transmission line measurement analysis revealed the electrical properties of the ZnGa2O4 epilayer: a sheet resistance of 276 MΩ/□, a transfer length of 0.28 μm, and a specific contact resistivity of 21.63 Ω/mm2. A phototransistor made of ZnGa2O4 was designed with a channel width of 250 μm and a channel length of 20 μm. The source-drain electrodes were fabricated using a Ti/Al/Ni stacking technique. The gate dielectric comprised 30 nm thick Al2O3, and the gate contact was made of Ni. The device possessed a higher threshold voltage value of about 4.8 V and an impressive On/Off current ratio of 106. Under 240 nm UV light exposure, the phototransistor exhibited a transition from enhancement mode to depletion mode, leading to a remarkable shift in the threshold voltage from 5 V to approximately −16 V. Moreover, the responsivity and rejection ratio at 240 nm was 128.5 A/W and 105 at a gate voltage of −10 V. The study shows that an increasing thickness of the ZnGa2O4 epilayer from 80 nm to 135 nm results in a depletion mode transistor. The higher concentration of about twenty percent oxygen vacancies resulted in a longer fall time for the phototransistor. These results underscore the significant potential of ZnGa2O4 in facilitating deep UV-based detection applications.

High-sensitivity and energy-efficient chloride ion sensors based on flexible printed carbon nanotube thin-film transistors for wearable electronics

The advent of flexible single-walled carbon nanotube thin-film transistors (SWCNT-TFTs) has transformed electronics, providing significant benefits like low operating voltage, reduced power consumption, cost-effectiveness, and improved signal amplification. This study focuses on leveraging these attributes to develop a novel flexible high-sensitivity and energy-efficient chloride ion sensors based on printed flexible SWCNT-TFTs utilizing polymers-sorted semiconducting SWCNTs (sc-SWCNTs) as the active layers and ion liquids-poly(4-vinylphenol as dielectric layers along with the evaporated deposition of aluminum electrodes and printed silver electrodes as the gate and source-drain electrodes, respectively. The sensors exhibit several operational advantages, including low voltage requirements (≤1 V), rapid response speed (5.32 s), significant signal amplification (Up to 702.6 %), low power consumption (0.31 μJ at 1 mmol chloride ion), good repeatability, high sensitivity for both low and high concentrations of chloride ion (up to 100 mmol/L) and excellent mechanical flexibility (No obvious changes after bending for 10,000 times with a 5 mm radius). The detection mechanism of chloride ions was analyzed using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that chloride ions react with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to form silver chloride (AgCl) on printed electrodes, impeding carrier transport and reducing the currents in SWCNT TFTs. Importantly, our sensors' compatibility with smart devices allows for real-time monitoring of chloride ion levels in human sweat, offering significant potential for daily health monitoring.

Evaluating the performance of p-type organic field-effect transistor using different source–drain electrodes

Evaluating the performance of p-type organic field-effect transistor using different source–drain electrodes

Non-equilibrium Green's function analysis of charge plasma-based source-drain electrode P-type MoTe2 MOSFET for high sensitivity hydrogen sensing

—The paper presents a novel P-type molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) designed for high sensitivity hydrogen sensing applications. Through the utilization of palladium at the source-drain charge plasma electrode, P+ regions at both ends are generated, obviating the necessity for low-dimensional MoTe2 doping. Simultaneously, the inclusion of palladium on both regions act as the sensing area, resulting in notably heightened sensitivity. The study employs Non-Equilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) formalism to investigate the carrier transport properties of the device. The results provide valuable insights into less explored area of p-type MOSFET performance as Hydrogen(H2) gas sensor and its potential.

Memtransistor-like operation of devices made by graphene/h-BN/MoS2 van der Waals heterostructure

We present the fabrication and characterization of a flash memory device based on a van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure comprising graphene (Gr), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). The device exhibits versatile functionalities and demonstrates memtransistor-like behavior, making it a promising candidate for synaptic devices and neuromorphic computing. The Gr/h-BN/MoS2 heterostructure allows for the manipulation of charge concentration in the floating gate (FG) through control gate voltage (VBG), resulting in conductance switching. Moreover, the overlap structure of the FG and source-drain electrodes enables memtransistor-like operations, where the writing processes rely on the source-drain voltage (VDS). By varying carrier storage concentrations in the Gr-FG, multiple memory states can be achieved, offering analog information processing capabilities. In addition, the combination of dual-input functionality allows for the identification of a substantial on/off ratio even when utilizing a lower reading VDS, consequently strengthening the dependability of the memory state. Our work showcases the great potential of the Gr/h-BN/MoS2 heterostructure for advanced nanoelectronics, providing a platform for the development of computing architectures and neuromorphic systems.

Design and Performance Optimization of InGaAs/InAlAs Dopingless Tunnel Field-effect Transistor

In this work, an InGaAs/InAlAs dopingless tunnel field-effect transistor is designed and systematically examined through numerical simulations. In line with the charge plasma concept, the proposed device can not only create a p-n-i-n structure without doping to enhance electron tunneling but also effectively overcome issues caused by doping such as random doping fluctuation, high thermal budget, etc. By investigating the effects of the HfO2 length (L H), the source-side channel length (L sc), and the source-drain electrodes structure on the proposed device, it concludes that the best device characteristic can be acquired when L H is located between 110 nm and 128 nm, L sc=4 nm, and double source-drain electrodes are adopted.

High-performance organic field effect transistor of liquid crystalline organic semiconductor using silver electrodes with bottom-gate top-contact configuration

We have investigated organic field effect transistors (OFETs) fabricated with liquid crystalline organic semiconductor, 2-decyl-7-phenyl-[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (Ph-BTBT-10), and silver (Ag) source-drain electrodes. Ph-BTBT-10 OFETs using Ag source-drain electrodes in bottom-gate top-contact configuration exhibit high mobility of 8.2 cm2 Vs−1, which is similar to those of gold (Au) electrodes. Contact resistance of Ph-BTBT-10 OFETs using Ag electrodes achieved 0.49 kΩcm by transfer length method, which is lower than those of Au electrodes, 2.7 kΩcm. Ph-BTBT-10 OFET using Ag source-drain electrodes in bottom-gate top-contact configuration is a promising candidate for high-performance and low-cost OFETs.

Reversible Intercalation of Protons in Tungsten Oxide Films for Multi-Transduction Sensor Applications

Tungsten oxide films under electrochemical bias, can form tungsten oxide bronzes (MxWO3 with M being small cations such as H+ or Li+) featuring high electronic conductivity and change in coloration to deep blue1. This doping process occurs through the reduction of W6+, as described by the following equation:WO3 + x H+ + xe- -> HxWO3The bronze phase can also be formed through exposure of tungsten oxide to H2 at high temperatures (> 200 oC) or in presence of catalysts2, as described by the following equation:WO3 + x/2 H2 -> HxWO3 Because of the significant changes in both optical and electrical proprieties of the films, electrochemical control of proton doping can be used as a strategy for the development of ion-gated transistors3,4, hydrogen sensors and smart windows5.In this work, we report the use of thin films prepared by sol-gel synthesis using polyperoxotungstic acid (PPTA) as a precursor. We used three different types of substrates (conductive transparent fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass, Si/SiO2 patterned with Au source-drain electrodes and Interdigitated electrodes patterned on transparent glass) to study the changes of color and conductivity following the formation of the bronze in both electrochemical and dry environments. In electrochemical environment, we show that gating by ionic liquid in transistor configuration can be used to propose an iontronic sensor to detect H2 and H2O6. In dry environment, we show that simultaneous monitoring of visible light transmittance and electrical conductivity can be used a double transducer for H2 sensors6.1 M. S. Whittingham, in Solid State Ionics, 2004, vol. 168, pp. 255–263.2 C. C. Chan, W. C. Hsu, C. C. Chang and C. S. Hsu, Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical, 2011, 157, 504–509.3 M. Barbosa, X. Meng, F. Soavi, C. Santato and M. O. Orlandi, J Mater Chem C Mater, 2018, 6, 1980–1987.4 G. V. de Oliveira Silva, A. Subramanian, X. Meng, S. Zhang, M. S. Barbosa, B. Baloukas, D. Chartrand, J. C. Gonzáles, M. O. Orlandi, F. Soavi, F. Cicoira and C. Santato, J Phys D Appl Phys,5 G. Cai, J. Wang and P. S. Lee, Acc Chem Res, 2016, 49, 1469–1476.6 M. S. Barbosa, R. A. da Silva, C. Santato and M. O. Orlandi, Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, 2022, 40, 013202.

Spinristor: A Spin‐Filtering Memristor

AbstractIn this paper, an in silico proof of concept of a spinristor is proposed and provided; a new electronic component that combines a spin‐filter and a memristor in a single molecule, useful for in‐memory processing. It builds on the idea of an open‐shell transition metal ion enclosed within an elliptical fullerene connected to a pair of electrodes. The spin‐ and electronic‐polarization induced by the enclosed open‐shell metallic ion leads to differential rectification of the electrons at low voltages applied between the source–drain electrodes, VSD. The position of the encapsulated ion can be switched by a high VSD which leads to a change in the direction of the rectification and the spin‐filtering ratio. The system can thus be used as a switching rectifier, that is, a memristor and a spin‐filter; therefore, a spinristor. The effect of different linkers on the function of the proposed device is further analyzed to show that linkers reduce the overall conductivity by an order of magnitude, but improve the spin‐filtering ratio. The computations suggest that nitrile and isocyanide linkers enhance the rectification, too. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, spinristor has no macroscopic counterpart in electronics, so far.

Serum CRP biomarker detection by using carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (CNT-FET) immunosensor

C-reactive protein (CRP) is produced by the liver in response to systemic inflammation caused by bacterial infection, trauma and internal organ failures. CRP serves as a potential biomarker in the precise diagnosis of cardiovascular risk, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension and various types of cancers. The pathogenic conditions indicated above are diagnosed by an elevated CRP level in the serum. In this study, we successfully fabricated a highly sensitive and selective carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (CNT-FET) immunosensor for the detection of CRP. The CNTs were deposited on the Si/SiO2 surface, between source-drain electrodes, afterwards modified with well-known linker PBASE and then anti-CRP was immobilized. This anti-CRP functionalized CNT-FET immunosensor exhibits a wide dynamic detection range (0.01–1000 μg/mL) CRP detection, rapid response time (2–3 min) and low variation (<3 %) which can be delivered as a low-cost and rapid clinical detection technology for the early diagnosis of coronary heart disease (CHD). For the clinical applications, our sensor was tested using CRP fortified serum samples and sensing performance was validated using enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA). This CNT-FET immunosensor will be helpful in taking over the complex laboratory-based expensive traditional CRP diagnostic procedures practiced in the hospitals.

Novel TiO2-based memristors FET with programmable SET/RESET for neuromorphic computing

TiOx switching oxide-based gated memristor FET is fabricated using a sputtering and lift-off process. 3 µm wide source-drain electrode covered by ∼ 15 nm TiOx layer. Field emission scanning electron micrograph confirms the FET structure. 6.1 V forming voltage is essential to initiate the switching process. The positive and negative gate voltage effect on the set and reset process was confirmed. The gate-controlled memristor device can open another option for the synaptic process.

Achieving Ultrahigh Electron Mobility in PdSe2 Field‐Effect Transistors via Semimetal Antimony as Contacts

AbstractEven though atomically thin 2D semiconductors have shown great potential for next‐generation electronics, the low carrier mobility caused by poor metal–semiconductor contacts and the inherently high density of impurity scatterings remains a critical issue. Herein, high‐mobility field‐effect transistors (FETs) by introducing few‐layer PdSe2 flakes as channels is achieved, via directly depositing semimetal antimony (Sb) as drain–source electrodes. The formation of clean and defect‐free van der Waals (vdW) stackings at the Sb–PdSe2 heterointerfaces boosts the room temperature transport characteristics, including low contact resistance down to 0.55 kΩ µm, high on‐current density reaching 96 µA µm−1, and high electron mobility of 383 cm2 V−1 s−1. Furthermore, metal–insulator transition (MIT) is observed in the PdSe2 FETs with and without hexagonal boron nitride (h–BN) as buffer layers. However, the layered h–BN/PdSe2 vdW stacking eliminates the interference of interfacial disorders, and thus the corresponding device exhibits a lower MIT crossing point, larger mobility exponent of γ ∼ 1.73, significantly decreased hopping parameter of T0, and ultrahigh electron mobility of 2,184 cm2 V−1 s−1 at 10 K. These findings are expected to be significant for developing high mobility 2D‐based quantum devices.

High-Performance Ambipolar and n-Type Emissive Semiconductors Based on Perfluorophenyl-Substituted Perylene and Anthracene.

Emissive organic semiconductors are highly demanding for organic light-emitting transistors (OLETs) and electrically pumped organic lasers (EPOLs). However, it remains a great challenge to obtain organic semiconductors with high carrier mobility and high photoluminescence quantum yield simultaneously. Here, a new design strategy is reported for highly emissive ambipolar and even n-type semiconductors by introducing perfluorophenyl groups into polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as perylene and anthracene. The results reveal that 3,9-diperfluorophenyl perylene (5FDPP) exhibits the ambipolar semiconducting property with hole and electron mobilities up to 0.12 and 1.89 cm2 V-1 s-1 , and a photoluminescence quantum yield of 55%. One of the crystal forms of 5FDPA exhibits blue emission with an emission quantum yield of 52% and simultaneously shows the n-type semiconducting property with an electron mobility up to 2.65 cm2 V-1 s-1 , which is the highest value among the reported organic emissive n-type semiconductors. Furthermore, crystals of 5FDPP are utilized to fabricate OLETs by using Ag as source-drain electrodes. The electroluminescence is detected in the transporting channels with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of up to 2.2%, and the current density is up to 145 kA cm-2 , which are among the highest values for single-component OLETs with symmetric electrodes.

Remarkable Electrical Conductivity Increase and Pure Metallic Properties from Semiconducting Colloidal Nanocrystals by Cation Exchange for Solution-Processable Optoelectronic Applications.

The authors report a strategic approach to achieve metallic properties from semiconducting CuFeS colloidal nanocrystal (NC) solids through cation exchange method. An unprecedentedly high electrical conductivity is realized by the efficient generation of charge carriers onto a semiconducting CuS NC template via minimal Fe exchange. An electrical conductivity exceeding 10 500 S cm-1 (13 400 S cm-1 at 2 K) and a sheet resistance of 17 Ω/sq at room temperature, which are among the highest values for solution-processable semiconducting NCs, are achieved successfully from bornite-phase CuFeS NC films possessing 10% Fe atom. The temperature dependence of the corresponding films exhibits pure metallic characteristics. Highly conducting NCs are demonstrated for a thermoelectric layer exhibiting a high power factor over 1.2mW m-1 K-2 at room temperature, electrical wires for switching on light emitting diods (LEDs), and source-drain electrodes for p- and n-type organic field-effect transistors. Ambient stability, eco-friendly composition, and solution-processability further validate their sustainable and practical applicability. The present study provides a simple but very effective method for significantly increasing charge carrier concentrations in semiconducting colloidal NCs to achieve metallic properties, which is applicable to various optoelectronic devices.

Interface engineering to enhance charge carrier injection in Ph-BTBT-10 organic thin-film transistor with silver source-drain electrodes

We have investigated to reduce the contact resistance of organic field effect transistor (OFET) of the phenyl-benzothienobenzothiophene derivative (Ph-BTBT-10) with silver source-drain electrodes. Ph-BTBT-10 OFETs with silver electrodes show very low FET mobility and high contact resistance because the work function of silver has a large energy level misalignment with the highest occupied molecular orbital level of Ph-BTBT-10. The silver electrodes treated with self-assembled monolayers, pentafluorobenzenethiol (PFBT) and tetrafluoro-(trifluoromethyl)-benzenethiol (TTFP), show high work function and archive small contact resistance with Ph-BTBT-10. The Ph-BTBT-10 OFETs with TTFP-Ag electrodes achieved a high mobility of 1.5 cm2/Vs, and a small contact resistance of 2.1 kΩ cm.

Enhanced sub-band gap photosensitivity by an asymmetric source–drain electrode low operating voltage oxide transistor

The photosensitivity of a phototransistor can be enhanced by using an asymmetric work function source–drain (S–D) electrode.