Reconfigurable transistor helps reducing component count
Switching between n and p conduction can be controlled by the voltage applied to one of the gate electrodes. This enables to realize circuits with lower transistor count compared to today’s widespread CMOS technologies. In addition, Due germanium’s low band gap compared to silicon. these transistors based can be operated at low supply voltages and thus consume less power.
Today´s digital electronics are dominated by integrated circuits built by transistors. For more than four decades transistors have been miniaturized to enhance computational power and speed. Recent developments aim to maintain this trend by employing materials having higher mobility than silicon in the transistor channel, like germanium and indium-arsenide. One of the limitations in using those materials is the higher static power loss in the transistor´s off-state, also originating from their narrow band gaps. The scientist team around Jens Trommer and Dr. Walter Weber from NaMLab in cooperation with cfaed succeeded in solving this issue by conceiving a germanium-nanowire transistor with independent gating regions. Dr. Weber who leads cfaed’s Nanowire Research Group points out: “For the first time the results demonstrate the combination of low operation voltages with reduced off-state leakage. The results are a key enabler for novel energy efficient circuits.”
The NamLab now is examining how the new transistor type can be implemented in future products with industrial partners.
The work has been published in the journal ACS Nano. The publication can be found online under:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.6b07531
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
