Browse Topic: Transistors

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Smart Molecules Act as Computer TransistorsTBMG-459776/1/2022
Researchers have discovered a single-molecule switch that can act like a transistor and store binary information such as the 1s and 0s used in classical computing. The molecule is around five square nanometers in size — more than one billion of them would fit onto the cross-section of a human hair. The researchers believe that molecules like the ones they have discovered could offer information density of around 250 terabits per square inch, which is around 100 times the storage density of current hard drives.
Graphene “Nano-Origami” Creates Tiny MicrochipsTBMG-396048/1/2021
Tiny microchips can be made from graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) materials using a form of “nano-origami.” By creating kinks in the structure of graphene, researchers made the nanomaterial behave like a transistor and showed that when a strip of graphene is crinkled in this way, it can behave like a microchip that is around 100 times smaller than conventional microchips.
Radiation Effects on Electronics in Aligned Carbon Nanotube Technology (RadCNT)21AERP02_072/1/2021
Characterizing the fundamental mechanisms and charge transport phenomena governing the interactions between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation with carbon-based (nanotube and graphene) field-effect transistors (FETs) devices and integrated circuits (ICs). Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia The main objective of the RadCNT program was the characterization of fundamental mechanisms and charge transport phenomena governing the interactions between ionizing and nonionizing radiation with carbon-based (nanotube and graphene) field-effect transistors (FETs) devices and integrated circuits (ICs). This effort was supported through the fabrication of aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) FETs at the University of Southern California's (USC) Nanotechnology Research Laboratory and through a collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratories (NRL) for radiation testing and expertise in radiation effects characterization. The RadCNT program concentrated on
Solid-State Sensor for Detection and Characterization of Electric FieldsTBMG-3799011/1/2020
NASA’s Langley Research Center has developed a solid-state integrated circuit based on a field effect transistor (FET). Called ergFET, the sensor characterizes the electronic properties of materials, allowing for detection of items like baggage, wiring, and liquids, and can even be used for medical imaging such as remote EKG.
Integrated Microchips for Electronic SkinTBMG-3780110/1/2020
Human skin allows for interfacing with external physical environments through numerous receptors interconnected with the nervous system. Scientists have been trying to transfer these features to artificial skin, aiming at robotic applications. Operation of robotic systems heavily relies on electronic and magnetic field sensing functionalities required for positioning and orientation in space.
Fluoride Materials for Extra-Thin Computer ChipsTBMG-3782710/1/2020
Smaller and more compact is the direction in which computer chips are moving. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are considered to have great potential since they are as thin as a material can possibly be — in extreme cases, they consist of only one single layer of atoms. This makes it possible to produce novel electronic components with tiny dimensions, high speed, and optimal efficiency.
Cryogenic-Capable Isolators Improve the Performance of Millimeter-Wave Systems by Lowering Noise LevelsTBMG-373728/1/2020
Silence is golden when it comes to filtering out unwanted reflected noise, especially in extremely high-frequency, millimeter-wave (MMW) applications. While recent improvements in isolator designs are solving many of these problems, one critical challenge remains: finding isolators that operate optimally under cryogenic conditions.
Single-Atom TransistorsTBMG-372237/1/2020
Transistors consisting only of several-atom clusters or even single atoms could become the building blocks of a new generation of computers with unparalleled memory and processing power. But to realize the full potential of these tiny transistors — miniature electrical on-off switches — researchers must find a way to make many copies of these difficult-to-fabricate components.
Flexible, Powerful, Fast Bioelectronic DevicesTBMG-371316/1/2020
Researchers are working to use unique properties of materials to develop novel electronic devices that allow efficient interaction with biological substrates — specifically neural networks and the brain.
Process Enables Manufacturing of Stretchy ElectronicsTBMG-368655/1/2020
All electronic devices feature a hard computer chip, covered in many transistors and other semiconducting elements. Because computer chips are rigid, the electronic devices they power — such as smartphones, laptops, watches, and televisions — are similarly inflexible. A process was developed for manufacturing flexible electronics with multiple functionalities in a cost-effective way.
Artificial Intelligence Finds and Labels 2D Materials InstantlyTBMG-368315/1/2020
Researchers demonstrated an artificial intelligence system that can find and label 2D materials in microscope images in the blink of an eye. Two-dimensional materials offer a new platform for the creation of electronic devices such as transistors and light-emitting diodes. The family of crystals that can be made just one atom thick includes metals, semiconductors, and insulators.
Electric Nanoscale Device Sees Through WallsTBMG-368415/1/2020
Researchers have developed a nanodevice that operates more than 10 times faster than today’s fastest transistors and about 100 times faster than the transistors on most computers. The device generates high-power terahertz waves, which are notoriously difficult to produce and are useful in a variety of applications ranging from imaging and sensing to high-speed wireless communications.
Transistors Both Process and Store InformationTBMG-359602/1/2020
A computer chip can process and store information using two different devices. If these devices could be combined into one or put next to each other, there would be more space on a chip, making it faster and more powerful. Engineers have developed a way that the millions of tiny switches used to process information (transistors) could also store that information as one device.
Method Manipulates Electrons and Transmits Information Quantum-MechanicallyTBMG-3571812/1/2019
A quantum computer operates on the principles of quantum mechanics, a unique set of rules that governs at the extremely small scale of atoms and subatomic particles. When dealing with particles at these scales, many of the rules that govern classical physics no longer apply and quantum effects emerge. A quantum computer is able to perform complex calculations, factor extremely large numbers, and simulate the behaviors of atoms and particles at levels that classical computers cannot.
Technique Uses X-Rays to Detect Defective Computer ChipsTBMG-3570912/1/2019
Guaranteeing that computer chips — which can consist of billions of interconnected transistors — are manufactured without defects is a challenge. It’s also a challenge to determine if a chip is compromised. A new technique would allow companies and other organizations to non-destructively scan chips to ensure that they haven’t been altered and that they are manufactured to design specifications without error.
Software-Defined Analog Filters: A Paradigm Shift in Radio Filter Performance and CapabilityTBMG-3566512/1/2019
Among the most abundant components in all wireless system designs, analog RF filters are used to block interference from various internal and external sources. Limited spectrum divided among an ever-increasing number of users is further driving the need for these ubiquitous but in some ways anachronistic devices. Currently, interference is quite common among cellular base stations, satellite systems, radar installations, and other types of access and backhaul communications systems. Traditional filters are unable to cope with the requirements; in many cases, most often due to insufficient guard bandf. For example, in some international locales, LTE base stations and satellite receivers share the L-band frequencies. At around 3.5 GHz, 5G operators, CBRS radios, and military radars are trying to co-exist. To address this in-band interference, a new, tunable filtering technology is entering the marketplace, uniquely blending the best of both analog and digital technologies.
Software-Defined Analog Filters: A Paradigm Shift in Radio Filter Performance and Capability19AERP12_0512/1/2019
Among the most abundant components in all wireless system designs, analog RF filters are used to block interference from various internal and external sources. Limited spectrum divided among an ever-increasing number of users is further driving the need for these ubiquitous but in some ways anachronistic devices. Currently, interference is quite common among cellular base stations, satellite systems, radar installations, and other types of access and backhaul communications systems. Traditional filters are unable to cope with the requirements; in many cases, most often due to insufficient guard bandf. For example, in some international locales, LTE base stations and satellite receivers share the L-band frequencies. At around 3.5 GHz, 5G operators, CBRS radios, and military radars are trying to co-exist. To address this in-band interference, a new, tunable filtering technology is entering the marketplace, uniquely blending the best of both analog and digital technologies.
Printed Electronics for Electrified Tattoos and Personalized BiosensorsTBMG-3545811/1/2019
A fully print-in-place technique for electronics could enable technologies such as high-adhesion, embedded electronic tattoos and bandages with patient-specific biosensors.
Method Makes Transistors and Electronic Devices from ThreadTBMG-3546711/1/2019
A transistor has been made from linen thread, enabling the creation of electronic devices made entirely of thin threads that could be woven into fabric, worn on the skin, or implanted surgically for diagnostic monitoring. The flexible electronic devices could enable a range of applications that conform to different shapes and allow free movement without compromising function.
Ultrathin Transistors for Faster Computer ChipsTBMG-3528310/1/2019
For decades, microchip transistors have become smaller, faster, and cheaper; however, miniaturization has reached a natural limit, as completely new problems arise when a length scale of only a few nanometers is approached.
Graphene Field Effect Transistors for Radiation Detection (GFET-RS)TBMG-351489/1/2019
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center developed novel transistor technology based on a single graphene layer coupled to a radiation absorber substrate. Unlike conventional charge-sensing detectors, the GFET-RS utilizes the sensitive dependence of graphene conductance on local change of the electric field, which can be induced by interaction of radiation with the underlying absorber substrate.
Ultra-Clean Fabrication Platform for 2D TransistorsTBMG-351299/1/2019
Recently discovered two-dimensional (2D) materials with superlative properties have the potential to advance semiconductors but creating 2D devices with both good electrical contacts and stable performance has proved challenging.
Technology Produces Unclonable Digital Fingerprints for Internet of Things DevicesTBMG-349328/1/2019
Researchers have created technology that is 10 times more reliable than current methods of producing unclonable digital fingerprints that can be used to authenticate devices linked to the Internet of Things (IoT).
Products of Tomorrow: July 2019TBMG-347577/1/2019
This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.
Direct-Write Quantum Calligraphy in Monolayer SemiconductorsTBMG-346216/1/2019
In contrast with conventional light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit billions of photons simultaneously to form a steady stream of light, a single photon emitter (SPE) generates exactly one photon on demand, with each photon indistinguishable from another. These characteristics are essential for photon-based quantum technologies under development. In addition, such capabilities should be realized in a material platform that enables precise, repeatable placement of SPEs in a fully scalable fashion compatible with existing semiconductor chip manufacturing.
High-Performance, Current-Steering Digital-to-Analog ConverterTBMG-343955/1/2019
A current-steering digital-to-analog converter (DAC) was developed that achieves improved switching times (up to 75% faster) in high-speed (gigahertz), high-resolution (8-14 bits) applications resulting in improvement of spurious free dynamic range (SFDR).
Fast, Flexible Ionic Transistors for Bioelectronic DevicesTBMG-342664/1/2019
Many major advances in medicine, especially in neurology, have been sparked by recent advances in electronic systems that can acquire, process, and interact with biological substrates. These bioelectronic systems, which are increasingly used to understand dynamic living organisms and to treat human disease, require devices that can record body signals, process them, detect patterns, and deliver electrical or chemical stimulation to address problems.
Microfabrication Technique Modifies Semiconductor Material Atom-by-AtomTBMG-339053/1/2019
To keep up with Moore's Law — an observation made in the 1960s that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles about every two years — researchers are finding ways to cram as many transistors as possible onto microchips. The newest trend is 3D transistors that stand vertically, like fins, and measure about 7 nanometers across — tens of thousands of times thinner than a human hair. Tens of billions of these transistors can fit on a single microchip, which is about the size of a fingernail.
Gated Chopper Integrator (GCI)TBMG-3339212/1/2018
Microvolt-level signals require gains of at least a thousand. Offsets and noise in the amplifier chain will be amplified by the same amount, which can saturate the amplifier or swamp the signal so it is not resolvable. Other methods use chopping and/or autozero techniques to lower the offset and noise. The key disadvantages of these methods are they require filters before and/or after demodulation of the amplified signal and delay equalization to account for the delay through the amplifier(s) prior to the demodulator. The gain of these circuits is generally limited to fixed values determined by resistors. These methods are also susceptible to transient noise associated with the switching action of the modulator.
One-Dimensional Material with High Current DensityTBMG-3323511/1/2018
Current density is the amount of electrical current per cross-sectional area at a given point. As transistors in integrated circuits become smaller and smaller, they need higher and higher current densities to perform at the desired level. Most conventional electrical conductors, such as copper, tend to break due to overheating or other factors at high current densities, presenting a barrier to creating increasingly small components.
Efficient Semiconductor Material for Thermal ManagementTBMG-3311410/1/2018
Computer processors have continued to shrink down to nanometer sizes where there can be billions of transistors on a single chip. This phenomenon is described under Moore's Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years. Each generation of smaller chips helps make computers faster, more powerful, and able to do more work. But that means they're generating more heat.
Q&A: Dr. Sheng Xu, Department of NanoEngineering and the Center for Wearable Sensors, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California San DiegoTBMG-3309210/1/2018
A team led by UCSD has built a stretchable electronic patch that can be worn on the skin like a bandage and used to wirelessly monitor a variety of physical and electrical signals, from respiration and body motion, to temperature and eye movement, to heart and brain activity. The device is as small and thick as a U.S. dollar coin.
Switch Controls Light on a Nanoscale for Faster Information ProcessingTBMG-3311110/1/2018
Photons, or units of light, are faster than electrons and could, therefore, process information faster from smaller chip structures. A switch was designed that bypasses a tendency for the unwanted absorption of light when using surface plasmons, or light coupled to oscillations of free electron clouds, to help confine light to a nanoscale. Even though plasmonics downsizes light, photons also get lost, or absorbed, rather than transferred to other parts of the computer chip when they interact with plasmons.
Faster, More Efficient Information ProcessingTBMG-328609/1/2018
For decades, computer chips have been shrinking thanks to a steady stream of technological improvements in processing density. Experts have, however, been warning that we'll soon reach the end of the trend known as Moore's Law, in which the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits doubles every year. In order to continue improving chip performance, either the material the transistors are made of — from silicon, to carbon nanotubes or graphene — or how current materials store and process information would need to change.
Merging Antenna and Electronics Boosts Energy and Spectrum EfficiencyTBMG-329109/1/2018
By integrating the design of antennas and electronics, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have boosted the energy and spectrum efficiency for a new class of millimeter-wave transmitters, allowing improved modulation and reduced generation of waste heat.
Merging Antenna and Electronics Boosts Energy and Spectrum Efficiency18AERP09_069/1/2018
By integrating the design of antennas and electronics, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have boosted the energy and spectrum efficiency for a new class of millimeter-wave transmitters, allowing improved modulation and reduced generation of waste heat. The new co-design technique - achieved through research sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and Intel Corp. - allows simultaneous optimization of the millimeter-wave antennas and electronics. The hybrid devices use conventional materials and integrated circuit (IC) technology, meaning no changes would be required to manufacture and package them. The co-design scheme allows fabrication of multiple transmitters and receivers on the same IC chip or the same package, potentially enabling multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems as well as boosting data rates and link diversity.
Toon, John
Advances in Spintronic DevicesTBMG-325038/1/2018
Spintronic devices promise to solve major problems in today's computers, which use massive amounts of electricity to generate heat. This requires expending even more energy for cooling. By contrast, spintronic devices generate little heat and use relatively minuscule amounts of electricity. Spintronic computers would require no energy to maintain data in memory. They would also start instantly and have the potential to be far more powerful than today's computers.
Integrating Optical Components into Existing Chip DesignsTBMG-290566/1/2018
Moving from electrical communication to optical communication is attractive to chip manufacturers because it could significantly increase chips’ speed and reduce power consumption, an advantage that will grow in importance as chips’ transistor count continues to rise.
Transistor Material Provides Additional Computing Degrees of FreedomTBMG-290286/1/2018
For several decades, improvements in conventional transistor materials have been sufficient to sustain Moore’s Law — the historical pattern of microchip manufacturers packing more transistors (and thus more information storage and handling capacity) into a given volume of silicon. Today, however, chipmakers are concerned that they might soon reach the fundamental limits of conventional materials. If they cannot continue to pack more transistors into smaller spaces, they worry that Moore’s Law would break down, preventing future circuits from becoming smaller and more powerful than their predecessors. Researchers worldwide are seeking new materials that can compute in smaller spaces, primarily by taking advantage of the additional degrees of freedom that the materials offer — using a material’s unique properties to perform more computations in the same space.
5Ws of the Ultra-Thin Memory Storage DeviceTBMG-285413/1/2018
Manufacturers of smaller and smarter computer chips for consumer electronics such as smartphones and tablets, and 3D chips for brain-inspired computing applications.
Laser Direct Structuring for Sensor ManufacturingTBMG-283622/1/2018
Every day the world’s leading medical device companies rely upon laser direct structuring (LDS) to meet their most demanding design and performance requirements. Millions of electronic components with complex geometries are cost-effectively manufactured each year through the use of LDS to create circuit traces on three-dimensional molded interconnect devices (3D-MID).
Method of Fabricating Ultra-Short-Gate-Length Thin-Film Transistors Using Optical LithographyTBMG-283102/1/2018
The speed of thin-film transistors (TFTs) relates directly to their gate length, which must be kept as short as possible to lower electron transport time between electrodes, and improve its high-frequency response characteristics. Since current density is proportional to W/L, where W is the gate width and L is the gate length, reduced gate length improves device current capability. Photolithography, which is the main technology used in defining electrode dimensions for TFTs, is limited in scope to fabrication line widths larger than 1 micrometer.
Silicon Carbide High-Voltage SwitchTBMG-281801/1/2018
High-voltage wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices like 15-kV silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs have attracted attention because of potential applications in high-voltage and high-frequency power converters. These devices, however, are not commercially available, and their high cost due to expensive material growth and fabrication may limit their widespread adoption in the future.
Ultrathin Semiconductor Materials “Rust” to Insulate CircuitryTBMG-2798212/1/2017
Silicon has several qualities that have led it to become the bedrock of electronics. One is that it features a very good “native” insulator — silicon dioxide, or silicon rust. Exposing silicon to oxygen during manufacturing gives chip makers a way to isolate their circuitry. Other semiconductors do not “rust” into good insulators when exposed to oxygen, so they must be layered with additional insulators — a step that introduces engineering challenges. Two new ultrathin materials share that trait, making them promising materials for electronics of the future.
Flexible, Printable Electronics for Sensor ArraysTBMG-2778911/1/2017
Printable electronics — flexible circuitry that is deposited on some type of plastic substrate — has been a major area of research for decades. But the ability to print the substrate itself greatly increases the range of devices the technique can yield.
Reconfigurable Chaos-Based MicrochipsTBMG-265093/1/2017
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed nonlinear chaos-based integrated circuits that enable computer chips to perform multiple functions with fewer transistors. These integrated circuits can be manufactured with off-the-shelf fabrication processes, and could lead to novel computer architectures that do more with less circuitry and fewer transistors.
Material Combination Enables Transistor Gate Length of 1 NanometerTBMG-265253/1/2017
The laws of physics have set a 5-nanometer threshold on the size of transistor gates among conventional semiconductors, about one-quarter the size of high-end, 20-nanometer-gate transistors now on the market. Researchers from the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a transistor with a working 1-nanometer gate.
Aerospace & Defense Technology: February 201717AERP022/2/2017
Open Standard Middleware Enables New HPEC Solutions Cooling Your Embedded System What Can Your Open Standard Architecture Handle? Evaluating Key Certification Aspects of Multicore Platforms for Safety Critical Avionics Applications Simulating and Analyzing Flow for an Air-to-Air Refueling System The Ins and Outs of Spaceflight Passive Components and Assemblies Development of High Quality 4H-SiC Thick Epitaxy for Reliable High Power Electronics Using Halogenated Precursors Silicon Based Mid-Infrared SiGeSn Heterostructure Emitters and Detectors Reconfigurable Electronics and Non-Volatile Memory Research Energy-Filtered Tunnel Transistor: A New Device Concept Toward Extremely Low Energy Consumption Electronics
Silicon Based Mid-Infrared SiGeSn Heterostructure Emitters and DetectorsTBMG-263892/1/2017
Energy-Filtered Tunnel Transistor: A New Device Concept Toward Extremely Low Energy Consumption ElectronicsTBMG-263912/1/2017
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