New source-gated transistors to create flexible displays

Researchers from the University of Surrey have developed a device that could help facilitate the innovation of low-cost, flexible displays that use little energy. The device solves a problem that effects source-gated transistors (SGT), a special type of transistor that combines two components of electronics — a thin-film transistor and a carefully engineered metal-semiconductor contact. Dr Radu Sporea, project lead from the University of Surrey, said the researchers used a semiconductor material called IGZO (indium-gallium-zinc-oxide) to create the next generation of source-gated transistors. Through nanoscale contact engineering, the researchers obtained transistors that are more stable with temperature than previous attempts.

“Device simulations allowed us to understand this effect. This new design adds temperature stability to SGTs and retains usual benefits like using low power, producing high signal amplification, and being more reliable under different conditions. While source-gated transistors are not mainstream because of a handful of performance limitations, we are steadily chipping away at their shortcomings,” Sporea said.

SGTs have many advantages over traditional transistors, including using less power and being more stable. They are also suitable for large-area electronics and are promising candidates to be used in various fields such as medicine, engineering and computing. Salman Alfarisyi performed the simulations at the University of Surrey, and said that SGTs could be the building block to new power-efficient flexible electronics technology that helps to meet energy needs without damaging the health of the planet.

“For example, their sensing and signal amplification ability makes it easy to recommend them as key elements for medical devices that interface with our entire body, allowing us to better understand human health,” Alfarisyi said.

The study has been published by IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

Image credit: University of Surrey