Pathway to the piezoelectronic transduction logic device.

The piezoelectronic transistor (PET) has been proposed as a transduction device not subject to the voltage limits of field-effect transistors. The PET transduces voltage to stress, activating a facile insulator-metal transition, thereby achieving multigigahertz switching speeds, as predicted by modeling, at lower power than the comparable generation field effect transistor (FET). Here, the fabrication and measurement of the first physical PET devices are reported, showing both on/off switching and cycling. The results demonstrate the realization of a stress-based transduction principle, representing the early steps on a developmental pathway to PET technology with potential to contribute to the IT industry.

Giant piezoresistive on/off ratios in rare-earth chalcogenide thin films enabling nanomechanical switching.

Sophisticated microelectromechanical systems for device and sensor applications have flourished in the past decade. These devices exploit piezoelectric, capacitive, and piezoresistive effects, and coupling between them. However, high-performance piezoresistivity (as defined by on/off ratio) has primarily been observed in macroscopic single crystals. In this Letter, we show for the first time that rare-earth monochalcogenides in thin film form can modulate a current by more than 1000 times due to a pressure-induced insulator to metal transition. Furthermore, films as thin as 8 nm show a piezoresistive response. The combination of high performance and scalability make these promising candidates for nanoscale applications, such as the recently proposed piezoelectronic transistor (PET). The PET would mechanically couple a piezoelectric thin film with a piezoresistive switching layer, potentially scaling to higher speeds and lower powers than today's complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology.

Sub-10-nm nanochannels by self-sealing and self-limiting atomic layer deposition.

We report on a novel fabrication method of a nanochannel ionic field effect transistor (IFET) structure with sub-10-nm dimensions. A self-sealing and self-limiting atomic layer deposition (ALD) facilitates the fabrication of lateral type nanochannels smaller than the e-beam or optical lithographic limits. Using highly conformal ALD film structures, including TiO(2), TiO(2)/TiN, and Al(2)O(3)/Ru, we have fabricated lateral sub-10-nm nanochannels with good control over channel diameter. Nanochannels surrounded by core/shell (high-k dielectric/metal) layers give rise to all-around-gating IFETs, an important functional element in an electrofluidic-based circuit system.