Tuning the Intrinsic Stochasticity of Resistive Switching in VO2 Microresistors.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) microresistors exhibit resistive switching above a certain threshold voltage, allowing them to emulate neurons in neuromorphic systems. However, such devices present intrinsic cycle-to-cycle variations in their resistances and threshold voltages, which can be detrimental or beneficial, depending on their use. Here, we study this stochasticity in VO2 microresistors with various grain sizes and dimensions, through high-resolution electrical and optical measurements across numerous cycles. Our results highlight that the cycle-to-cycle variations in threshold voltage increase as the grain size becomes comparable to the device dimensions. We also present observations of multimodal threshold voltage distributions in the smaller-length resistors. To understand the underlying phenomenon, we investigate the relationship between the device insulating resistance and threshold voltage distributions, showing that these modes could correspond to distinct percolation paths and filaments. Our findings provide the first experimentally verified guidelines for designing VO2 devices with minimized/maximized stochasticity, depending on the targeted application.

Compositional Engineering of Cu-Doped SnO Film for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Technology.

Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS)-based complementary thin-film transistor (TFT) circuits have broad application prospects in large-scale flexible electronics. To simplify circuit design and increase integration density, basic complementary circuits require both p- and n-channel transistors based on an individual semiconductor. However, until now, no MOSs that can simultaneously show p- and n-type conduction behavior have been reported. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that Cu-doped SnO (Cu:SnO) with HfO2 capping can be employed for high-performance p- and n-channel TFTs. The interstitial Cu+ can induce an n-doping effect while restraining electron-electron scatterings by removing conduction band minimum degeneracy. As a result, the Cu3 atom %:SnO TFTs exhibit a record high electron mobility of 43.8 cm2 V-1 s-1. Meanwhile, the p-channel devices show an ultrahigh hole mobility of 2.4 cm2 V-1 s-1. Flexible complementary logics are then established, including an inverter, NAND gates, and NOR gates. Impressively, the inverter exhibits an ultrahigh gain of 302.4 and excellent operational stability and bending reliability.

Ultimate Limit in Optoelectronic Performances of Monolayer WSe2 Sloping-Channel Transistors.

Atomically thin monolayer two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors with natural immunity to short channel effects are promising candidates for sub-10 nm very large-scale integration technologies. Herein, the ultimate limit in optoelectronic performances of monolayer WSe2 field-effect transistors (FETs) is examined by constructing a sloping channel down to 6 nm. Using a simple scaling method compatible with current micro/nanofabrication technologies, we achieve a record high saturation current up to 1.3 mA/µm at room temperature, surpassing any reported monolayer 2D semiconductor transistors. Meanwhile, quasi-ballistic transport in WSe2 FETs is first demonstrated; the extracted high saturation velocity of 4.2 × 106 cm/s makes it suitable for extremely sensitive photodetectors. Furthermore, the photoresponse speed can be improved by reducing channel length due to an electric field-assisted detrapping process of photogenerated carriers in localized states. As a result, the sloping-channel device exhibits a faster response, higher detectivity, and additional polarization resolution ability compared to planar micrometer-scale devices.

Ultra-Scaled Si Nanowire Biosensors for Single DNA Molecule Detection.

In this study, we use NEGF quantum transport simulations to study the fundamental detection limit of ultra-scaled Si nanowire FET (NWT) biosensors. A N-doped NWT is found to be more sensitive for negatively charged analytes as explained by the nature of the detection mechanism. Our results predict threshold voltage shifts due to a single-charge analyte of tens to hundreds of mV in air or low-ionic solutions. However, with typical ionic solutions and SAM conditions, the sensitivity rapidly drops to the mV/q range. Our results are then extended to the detection of a single 20-base-long DNA molecule in solution. The impact of front- and/or back-gate biasing on the sensitivity and limit of detection is studied and a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 is predicted. Opportunities and challenges to reach down to single-analyte detection in such systems are also discussed, including the ionic and oxide-solution interface-charge screening and ways to recover unscreened sensitivities.

High-performance dual-mode ultra-thin broadband CdS/CIGS heterojunction photodetector on steel.

An ultra-thin CdS/CIGS heterojunction photodiode fabricated on steel firstly exhibits dual-mode broadband photodetection from ultraviolet to near infrared spectrum. In the photovoltaic mode, the CIGS photodiode, working as a self-driven photodetector, shows an outstanding photodetection capability (under a light power density of 20 µW cm-2 at 680 nm), reaching a record detectivity of ∼4.4×1012 Jones, a low noise equivalent power (NEP) of 0.16 pW Hz-1/2 and a high Ilight/Idark ratio of ∼103, but a relatively low responsivity of ∼0.39 A W-1 and an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of ∼71%. Working under the same illumination but in the photoconductive mode (1 V reverse bias), the responsivity and EQE are significantly enhanced to 1.24 A W-1 and 226%, respectively, but with a relatively low detectivity of 7×1010 Jones and a higher NEP of 10.1 pW Hz-1/2. To explain these results, a corrected photoconductive gain (G) model indicates that minority electrons could be localized in the defects, surface states and depletion region of the CIGS photodiode, causing excess hole accumulation in the ultra-thin CIGS photodiode and thus high EQE over 100% (G over 1).

Variation Range of Different Inductor Topologies with Shields for RF and Inductive Sensing Applications.

In this study, different planar inductor topologies were studied to evaluate their characteristic parameters' variation range upon approaching Fe- and Cu-based shield plates. The use of such materials can differently alter the electrical properties of planar inductors such as the inductance, resonant frequency, resistance, and quality factor, which could be useful in multiple devices, particularly in inductive sensing and radio-frequency (or RF) applications. To reach an optimal design, five different square topologies, including spiral, tapered, non-spiral, meander, and fractal, were built on a printed circuit board (PCB) and assessed experimentally. At the working frequency of 1 MHz, the results showed a decrease in the inductance value when approaching a Cu-based plate and an increase with Fe-based plates. The higher variation range was noticeable for double-layer topologies, which was about 60% with the Cu-based plate. Beyond an intrinsic deflection frequency, the inductance value began to decrease when approaching the ferromagnetic plate because of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). It has been shown that the FMR frequency depends on the inductor topology and is larger for the double-layer spiral one. The Q-factor was decreasing for all topologies but was much faster when using ferromagnetic plates because of the FMR, which intensely increases the track resistance. The resonant frequency was increasing for all double-layer topologies and decreasing for single-layer ones, which was mainly due to the percentage change in the stray capacitance compared to the inductance variation. The concept of varying inductors by metal shielding plates has great potential in a wide range of nondestructive sensing and RF applications.

PCB-Based Planar Inductive Loops for Partial Discharges Detection in Power Cables.

Partial discharge (PD) diagnosis tests, including detecting, locating, and identifying, are used to trace defects or faults and assess the degree of aging in order to monitor the insulation condition of medium- and high-voltage power cables. In this context, an experimental evaluation of three different printed circuit board (PCB)-based inductive sensor topologies, with spiral, non-spiral, and meander shapes, is performed. The aim is to assess their capabilities for PD detection along a transmission power cable. First, simulation and experimental characterization are carried out to determine the equivalent electrical circuit and the quality factor of the three sensors. PD activity was studied in the lab on a 10-m-long defective MVAC cable. The three PCB-based sensors were tested in three different positions: directly on the defective cable (P1), at a separation distance of 10 cm to 3 m (P2), and on the ground line (P3). For the three positions, all sensors' outputs present a damped sine wave signal with similar frequencies and durations. Experimental results showed that the best sensitivity was given by the non-spiral inductor, with a peak voltage of around 500 mV in P1, 428 mV in P2, and 45 mV in P3, while the meander sensor had the lowest values, which were approximately 80 mV in P1. The frequency spectrum bandwidth of all sensors was between 10 MHz and 45 MHz. The high sensitivity of the non-spiral inductor could be associated with its interesting properties in terms of quality factor and SFR, which are due to its very low resistivity. To benchmark the performance of the designed three-loop sensors, a comparison with a commercial high-frequency current transformer (HFCT) is also made.

High-responsivity broadband photodetection of an ultra-thin In2S3/CIGS heterojunction on steel.

${\rm{Cu}}({\rm{In}},{\rm{Ga}}){\rm{S}}{{\rm{e}}_2}$ (CIGS) is a promising light harvesting material for large-area broadband photodetection, but it has been rarely studied up to now. Here an In2S3/CIGS heterojunction photodiode on steel is shown to be highly broadband photo-sensitive, with a photoresponsivity over 0.8 A/W, an external quantum efficiency over 100%, and a detectivity over 8×1010 Jones from 505 to 910nm under a reverse bias of 1 V. Moreover, the CIGS photodiode exhibits an outstanding weak light detection ability (i.e., at light power density of ${{20}}\;\unicode{x00B5} {\rm{W/c}}{{\rm{m}}^2}$), reaching a record responsivity of 2.06 A/W, an impressive EQE of 293%, and a good detectivity of ${2.3} \times {{1}}{{{0}}^{11}}$ Jones at 870 nm under 1 V reverse bias. Importantly, the CIGS photodiode, working as a self-powered photodetector, under 0 V, shows a record detectivity of ${\sim}{3.4} \times {{1}}{{{0}}^{12}}$ Jones with a high responsivity of ${\sim}{0.44}\;{\rm{A/W}}$ and a high EQE of ${\sim}{{63}}\%$, at 870 nm.

A Wearable Low-Power Sensing Platform for Environmental and Health Monitoring: The Convergence Project.

The low-power sensing platform proposed by the Convergence project is foreseen as a wireless, low-power and multifunctional wearable system empowered by energy-efficient technologies. This will allow meeting the strict demands of life-style and healthcare applications in terms of autonomy for quasi-continuous collection of data for early-detection strategies. The system is compatible with different kinds of sensors, able to monitor not only health indicators of individual person (physical activity, core body temperature and biomarkers) but also the environment with chemical composition of the ambient air (NOx, COx, NHx particles) returning meaningful information on his/her exposure to dangerous (safety) or pollutant agents. In this article, we introduce the specifications and the design of the low-power sensing platform and the different sensors developed in the project, with a particular focus on pollutant sensing capabilities and specifically on NO2 sensor based on graphene and CO sensor based on polyaniline ink.

Impact of hydrogen dopant incorporation on InGaZnO, ZnO and In2O3 thin film transistors.

In this work, hydrogen (H) plasma treatment is implemented to dope indium gallium zinc oxide (InGaZnO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and indium oxide (In2O3) thin-film transistors (TFTs). We systematically analyze the active defect states inside these n-type metal oxides and reveal how they are impacted by H dopant incorporation, combining the device transfer characteristics (including the threshold voltage, subthreshold slope, and carrier mobility), the X-ray photoelectron spectra, and numerical and theoretical investigations. An increase of the field-effect mobility of these TFTs is mainly attributed to the decreased interface and bulk tail-distributed traps, after an appropriate amount of H dopants is incorporated. In ZnO, hydrogen exclusively acts as a shallow donor during the plasma treatment, while the zinc vacancies Zn(Vac) cannot be passivated by the H dopants as no improvement of the subthreshold slope (SS) is observed in the hydrogenated ZnO TFT. The H interstitials (Hi) incorporated into In2O3 are stable in the + charge state at equilibrium, then change into the - charge state as the Fermi level energy EF gets closer to the bottom of the conduction band. Due to the H insertion into an oxygen vacancy VO, the VOH complex (acting as an acceptor) is formed in InGaZnO with increased H plasma treatment duration, leading to the degraded SS. This paper clarifies the H dopants' role and the different dominant defects inside the three types of TFTs, which may benefit systematic understanding and exploration of H dopant incorporation into InGaZnO, ZnO and In2O3 films for TFT improvement and optimization.

Role of Ionic Strength in Staphylococcal Cell Aggregation.

Cell aggregation plays a key role in biofilm formation and pathogenesis of Staphylococcus species. Although the molecular basis of aggregation in Staphylococci has already been extensively investigated, the influence of environmental factors, such as ionic strength, remains poorly understood. In this paper, we report a new type of cellular aggregation of Staphylococci that depends solely on ionic strength. Seven strains out of 14, all belonging to staphylococcal species, formed large cell clusters within minutes in buffers of ionic strength ranging from 1.5 to 50 mM, whereas isolates belonging to other Gram-positive species did not display this phenotype. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) with chemically functionalized tips provided direct evidence that ionic strength modulates cell surface adhesive properties through changes in cell surface charge. The optimal ionic strength for aggregation was found to be strain dependent, but in all cases, bacterial aggregates formed at an ionic strength of 1.5-50 mM were rapidly dispersed in a solution of higher ionic strength, indicating a reversibility of the cell aggregation process. These findings suggest that some staphylococcal isolates can respond to ionic strength as an external stimulus to trigger rapid cell aggregation in a way that has not yet been reported.

Employing Si solar cell technology to increase efficiency of ultra-thin Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells.

Reducing absorber layer thickness below 500 nm in regular Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells decreases cell efficiency considerably, as both short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage are reduced because of incomplete absorption and high Mo/CIGS rear interface recombination. In this work, an innovative rear cell design is developed to avoid both effects: a highly reflective rear surface passivation layer with nano-sized local point contact openings is employed to enhance rear internal reflection and decrease the rear surface recombination velocity significantly, as compared with a standard Mo/CIGS rear interface. The formation of nano-sphere shaped precipitates in chemical bath deposition of CdS is used to generate nano-sized point contact openings. Evaporation of MgF2 coated with a thin atomic layer deposited Al2O3 layer, or direct current magnetron sputtering of Al2O3 are used as rear surface passivation layers. Rear internal reflection is enhanced substantially by the increased thickness of the passivation layer, and also the rear surface recombination velocity is reduced at the Al2O3/CIGS rear interface. (MgF2/)Al2O3 rear surface passivated ultra-thin CIGS solar cells are fabricated, showing an increase in short circuit current and open circuit voltage compared to unpassivated reference cells with equivalent CIGS thickness. Accordingly, average solar cell efficiencies of 13.5% are realized for 385 nm thick CIGS absorber layers, compared with 9.1% efficiency for the corresponding unpassivated reference cells.

Ultra-low power high temperature and radiation hard complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) voltage reference.

This paper presents an ultra-low power CMOS voltage reference circuit which is robust under biomedical extreme conditions, such as high temperature and high total ionized dose (TID) radiation. To achieve such performances, the voltage reference is designed in a suitable 130 nm Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) industrial technology and is optimized to work in the subthreshold regime of the transistors. The design simulations have been performed over the temperature range of -40-200 °C and for different process corners. Robustness to radiation was simulated using custom model parameters including TID effects, such as mobilities and threshold voltages degradation. The proposed circuit has been tested up to high total radiation dose, i.e., 1 Mrad (Si) performed at three different temperatures (room temperature, 100 °C and 200 °C). The maximum drift of the reference voltage V(REF) depends on the considered temperature and on radiation dose; however, it remains lower than 10% of the mean value of 1.5 V. The typical power dissipation at 2.5 V supply voltage is about 20 µW at room temperature and only 75 µW at a high temperature of 200 °C. To understand the effects caused by the combination of high total ionizing dose and temperature on such voltage reference, the threshold voltages of the used SOI MOSFETs were extracted under different conditions. The evolution of V(REF) and power consumption with temperature and radiation dose can then be explained in terms of the different balance between fixed oxide charge and interface states build-up. The total occupied area including pad-ring is less than 0.09 mm2.

Millimeter-wave to near-terahertz sensors based on reversible insulator-to-metal transition in VO2.

In the quest for low power bio-inspired spiking sensors, functional oxides like vanadium dioxide are expected to enable future energy efficient sensing. Here, we report uncooled millimeter-wave spiking detectors based on the sensitivity of insulator-to-metal transition threshold voltage to the incident wave. The detection concept is demonstrated through actuation of biased VO2 switches encapsulated in a pair of coupled antennas by interrupting coplanar waveguides for broadband measurements, on silicon substrates. Ultimately, we propose an electromagnetic-wave-sensitive voltage-controlled spike generator based on VO2 switches in an astable spiking circuit. The fabricated sensors show responsivities of around 66.3 MHz.W-1 at 1 µW, with a low noise equivalent power of 5 nW.Hz-0.5 at room temperature, for a footprint of 2.5 × 10-5 mm2. The responsivity in static characterizations is 76 kV.W-1. Based on experimental statistical data measured on robust fabricated devices, we discuss stochastic behavior and noise limits of VO2 -based spiking sensors applicable for wave power sensing in mm-wave and sub-terahertz range.

Energy-band engineering for improved charge retention in fully self-aligned double floating-gate single-electron memories.

We present a new fully self-aligned single-electron memory with a single pair of nano floating gates, made of different materials (Si and Ge). The energy barrier that prevents stored charge leakage is induced not only by quantum effects but also by the conduction-band offset that arises between Ge and Si. The dimensions and position of each floating gate are well-defined and controlled. The devices exhibit a long retention time and single-electron injection at room temperature.

Exploring and suppressing the kink effect of black phosphorus field-effect transistors operating in the saturation regime.

With continuous device scaling, avalanche breakdown in two-dimensional (2D) transistors severely degrades device output characteristics and overall reliability. It is highly desirable to understand the origin of such electrical breakdown for exploring high-performance 2D transistors. Here, we report an anomalous increase in the drain currents of black phosphorus (BP)-based transistors operating in the saturation regime. Through the comprehensive investigation of various channel thicknesses, channel lengths and operating temperatures, such novel behavior is attributed to the kink effect originating from impact ionization and the related potential shift inside the channel, which is further confirmed by device numerical simulations. Furthermore, nitrogen plasma treatment is carried out to eliminate the current anomalous increase and suppress the kink effect with improved saturation current. This work not only sheds light on the understanding of carrier transport within BP transistors, but also could open up a new avenue for achieving high-performance and reliable electronic devices based on 2D materials.

A 16 × 16 CMOS Capacitive Biosensor Array Towards Detection of Single Bacterial Cell.

We present a 16 × 16 CMOS biosensor array aiming at impedance detection of whole-cell bacteria. Each 14 µm × 16 µm pixel comprises high-sensitive passivated microelectrodes connected to an innovative readout interface based on charge sharing principle for capacitance-to-voltage conversion and subthreshold gain stage to boost the sensitivity. Fabricated in a 0.25 µm CMOS process, the capacitive array was experimentally shown to perform accurate dielectric measurements of the electrolyte up to electrical conductivities of 0.05 S/m, with maximal sensitivity of 55 mV/fF and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 37 dB. As biosensing proof of concept, real-time detection of Staphylococcus epidermidis binding events was experimentally demonstrated and provides detection limit of ca. 7 bacteria per pixel and sensitivity of 2.18 mV per bacterial cell. Models and simulations show good matching with experimental results and provide a comprehensive analysis of the sensor and circuit system. Advantages, challenges and limits of the proposed capacitive biosensor array are finally described with regards to literature. With its small area and low power consumption, the present capacitive array is particularly suitable for portable point-of-care (PoC) diagnosis tools and lab-on-chip (LoC) systems.

Resonant dielectrophoresis and electrohydrodynamics for high-sensitivity impedance detection of whole-cell bacteria.

We present the co-integration of CMOS-compatible Al/Al2O3 interdigitated microelectrodes (IDEs) with an electrokinetic-driven macroelectrode for sensitive detection of whole-cell bacteria in a microfluidic channel. Two frequency ranges applied to the macroelectrode were identified to notably increase the bacterial coverage of the impedimetric sensor per unit time. Around 10 kHz, the bacterial cells were directed towards the IDE center thanks to AC electroosmosis (AC-EO) and the sensor capacitance linearly increased, achieving a limit of detection (LoD) of 3.5 × 10(5) CFU mL(-1) after an incubation time of 20 min with Staphylococcus epidermidis. At 63 MHz precisely, a resonance effect due to the device was found to dramatically increase the trapping of S. epidermidis on the sensor periphery, due to the combined actions of short-range contactless dielectrophoresis (cDEP) and long-range Joule heating electrothermal (J-ET) flow. Thanks to a flow-based method, the bacterial cells were redirected towards the sensor center and an LoD of 10(5) CFU mL(-1) was achieved within 20 min of incubation, which is almost two orders of magnitude better than the impedimetric sensor alone. Analytical models and 2D simulations using the Maxwell stress tensor (MST) provide a comprehensive analysis of the experimental results, especially about the spectral balance between cDEP, AC-EO and J-ET accounting for the 33-nm thick insulating layer atop the electrodes. Electrode CMOS compatibility confers portability, miniaturization and affordability capabilities for building point-of-care (PoC) diagnostic tests in a lab-on-a-chip (LoC).

Direct protein detection with a nano-interdigitated array gate MOSFET.

A new protein sensor is demonstrated by replacing the gate of a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) with a nano-interdigitated array (nIDA). The sensor is able to detect the binding reaction of a typical antibody Ixodes ricinus immunosuppressor (anti-Iris) protein at a concentration lower than 1 ng/ml. The sensor exhibits a high selectivity and reproducible specific detection. We provide a simple model that describes the behavior of the sensor and explains the origin of its high sensitivity. The simulated and experimental results indicate that the drain current of nIDA-gate MOSFET sensor is significantly increased with the successive binding of the thiol layer, Iris and anti-Iris protein layers. It is found that the sensor detection limit can be improved by well optimizing the geometrical parameters of nIDA-gate MOSFET. This nanobiosensor, with real-time and label-free capabilities, can easily be used for the detection of other proteins, DNA, virus and cancer markers. Moreover, an on-chip associated electronics nearby the sensor can be integrated since its fabrication is compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology.

Characterization of ultrathin SOI film and application to short channel MOSFETs.

In this study, a very dilute solution (NH(4)OH:H(2)O(2):H(2)O 1:8:64 mixture) was employed to reduce the thickness of commercially available SOI wafers down to 3 nm. The etch rate is precisely controlled at 0.11 Å s(-1) based on the self-limited etching speed of the solution. The thickness uniformity of the thin film, evaluated by spectroscopic ellipsometry and by high-resolution x-ray reflectivity, remains constant through the thinning process. Moreover, the film roughness, analyzed by atomic force microscopy, slightly improves during the thinning process. The residual stress in the thin film is much smaller than that obtained by sacrificial oxidation. Mobility, measured by means of a bridge-type Hall bar on 15 nm film, is not significantly reduced compared to the value of bulk silicon. Finally, the thinned SOI wafers were used to fabricate Schottky-barrier metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors with a gate length down to 30 nm, featuring state-of-the-art current drive performance.