Polarity control of carrier injection for nanowire feedback field-effect transistors

We present polarity control of the carrier injection for a feedback field-effect transistor (FBFET) with a selectively thinned p⁺-i-n⁺ Si nanowire (SiNW) channel and two separate gates. The SiNW FBFET can be reconfigured in the p- or n-channel operation modes via simple control of electric signals. The two separate gates induce potential barriers in the SiNW channel for selective control of the carrier injection. In contrast to previously reported reconfigurable transistors, our transistor features symmetry of the electrical characteristics for the p- and n-channel operation modes. Positive-feedback operation of the SiNW FBFET provides superior switching characteristics for the p- and n-type configurations, including the on/off ratios (∼ 10⁵) and subthreshold swings (1.36-1.78 mV/dec). This novel transistor is a promising candidate for reconfigurable electronics. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]