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. 2024 Oct 21;24(20):6764.
doi: 10.3390/s24206764.

Piezo-VFETs: Vacuum Field Emission Transistors Controlled by Piezoelectric MEMS Sensors as an Artificial Mechanoreceptor with High Sensitivity and Low Power Consumption

Chang Ge  1 , Yuezhong Chen  2 , Daolong Yu  2 , Zhixia Liu  2 , Ji Xu  2
Affiliations

Piezo-VFETs: Vacuum Field Emission Transistors Controlled by Piezoelectric MEMS Sensors as an Artificial Mechanoreceptor with High Sensitivity and Low Power Consumption

Chang Ge et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

As one of the most promising electronic devices in the post-Moore era, nanoscale vacuum field emission transistors (VFETs) have garnered significant attention due to their unique electron transport mechanism featuring ballistic transport within vacuum channels. Existing research on these nanoscale vacuum channel devices has primarily focused on structural design for logic circuits. Studies exploring their application potential in other vital fields, such as sensors based on VFET, are more limited. In this study, for the first time, the design of a vacuum field emission transistor (VFET) coupled with a piezoelectric microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensing unit is proposed as the artificial mechanoreceptor for sensing purposes. With a negative threshold voltage similar to an N-channel depletion-mode metal oxide silicon field effect transistor, the proposed VFET has its continuous current tuned by the piezoelectric potential generated by the sensing unit, amplifying the magnitude of signals resulting from electromechanical coupling. Simulations have been conducted to validate the feasibility of such a configuration. As indictable from the simulation results, the proposed piezoelectric VFET exhibits high sensitivity and an electrically adjustable measurement range. Compared to the traditional combination of piezoelectric MEMS sensors and solid-state field effect transistors (FETs), the piezoelectric VFET design has a significantly reduced power consumption thanks to its continuous current that is orders of magnitude smaller. These findings reveal the immense potential of piezoelectric VFET in sensing applications, building up the basis for using VFETs for simple, effective, and low-power pre-amplification of piezoelectric MEMS sensors and broadening the application scope of VFET in general.

Keywords: artificial mechanoreceptors; electrically adjustable measurement range; high sensitivity; piezoelectric vacuum emission transistors; vacuum emission transistors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic structure of the proposed VFET: (a) overall view; (b) cross-sectional view with structural parameters; (c) schematic structure of the VFET array; (d) the drains current increases linearly with the number of source electrodes. Electrical characteristics of the 3 × 3 VFET array; (e) output characteristic curves; and (f) transfer characteristic curves.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Circuit schematic of piezoelectric VFET sensors (piezo-VFETs); and (b) the relationship between Vout and RL as derived from Equation (8) and as obtained from simulation (VDD = 10 V and Vgs = 0 V).
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Sensitivity as a function of load resistance (RL) with a DC power supply voltage (VDD) of 20 V; and (b) sensitivity as a function of VDD with RL set to 10 MΩ.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Measurement range as functions of RL with VDD set at 15 V; and (b) measurement range as functions of VDD with and RL fixed at 10 MΩ.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) Curves depicting sensitivity and measurement range vs. number of source electrodes (VDD = 15 V, RL = 10 MΩ); and (b) negative feedback loop (An arrow up refers to rise in current or voltage, while an arrow down refers to a fall in current or voltage.).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Frequency response characteristic curve (Bode plot) of the piezo-VFETs.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The output characteristic of PVDF-based piezoelectric MEMS accelerometers (a) piezo-VFETs; and (b) under a 1g acceleration (VDD = 15 V, RL = 10 MΩ).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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