Thin-film ambipolar logic
View Patent ↗An ambipolar electronic device is disclosed. The device may include a field-effect transistor (FET), which may have a handle substrate layer, two contacts and an inorganic crystalline layer between the handle substrate layer and the contacts. The inorganic crystalline layer may have a doped channel region between the contacts. The FET may also have a dielectric layer between the contacts, attached to the inorganic crystalline layer, and a gate layer, attached to the dielectric layer. The FET may conduct current, in response to a first gate voltage applied to the gate layer, using electrons as a majority carrier, along the length of the channel region between the contacts. The FET may also conduct current, in response to a second gate voltage applied to the gate layer, using holes as a majority carrier, along the length of the channel region between the contacts.
1. A method for manufacturing an ambipolar FET (field-effect transistor) device, the method comprising:
forming a buried insulator layer on a handle substrate layer;
forming an inorganic crystalline layer on the buried insulator layer;
depositing a metallic layer on a bottom surface of the handle substrate layer;
forming a first electrically conductive contact and a second electrically conductive contact on a top surface of the inorganic crystalline layer;
depositing a dielectric layer on a top surface of the inorganic crystalline layer; and
depositing an electrically conductive material between the first electrically conductive contact and the second electrically conductive contact, to form a metal layer that is configured to function as a gate of the ambipolar FET by:
causing, in response to a first gate voltage and using electrons as a majority carrier, current to be conducted, along a length of a channel region between a first contact and a second contact; and
causing, in response to a second gate voltage and using holes as a majority carrier, current to be conducted, along the length of the channel region between the first contact and the second contact.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming an inorganic crystalline layer on the buried insulator layer includes depositing a non-crystalline material layer onto the buried insulator layer and subsequently crystallizing the non-crystalline material layer.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming an inorganic crystalline layer on the buried insulator layer includes transferring an inorganic crystalline layer from a host substrate onto the handle substrate layer.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming a first electrically conductive contact and a second electrically conductive contact includes hydrogen termination of the top surface of the inorganic crystalline layer.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein forming a first electrically conductive contact and a second electrically conductive contact involves a metal evaporation process performed in a vacuum chamber.