Printed Plastic Low-Power NDR Electronics for the Internet of Everything

摘要：非技术性：俄亥俄州立大学的团队通过在NSF下的一次偶然发现，资助了本科生的研究，开发并改进了一种新的有机隧道二极管，该二极管使用混合结，其中包括薄金属氧化物和基于溶液的有机半导体。这种获得专利的器件是第一个使用可扩展可打印工艺在室温下真正展示选择性隧道效应的此类结构。电流-电压特性在半导体设备中是独一无二的，看起来像大写字母(N)。因此，与大多数设备不同的是，通过这个(N)绘制的一条线提供了三个交点。中间层不稳定且不可用，但第一层和第三层提供了一种存储1位、a(0)或a(1)的简单方法，使用单个隧道二极管和另一个电路元件(如第二个隧道二极管或晶体管)作为负载。该项目通过建立一个跨越两个国家(美国和芬兰)的多机构团队(韦恩州立大学、坦佩雷理工大学、阿尔托大学和皮科森大学)，在以往进展的基础上再接再厉。这种薄薄的金属氧化物隧道势垒的性质是所发现的操作的关键。该项目寻求一种新的沉积方法来沉积这一层，允许在柔性基板上大面积沉积，达到一米宽。通过与芬兰工业界的合作，我们将提高美国工业的竞争力和地位，推进有机电子、太阳能电池、电子印刷和原子层沉积技术的智能化和功能性。业界和国际合作者的参与将扩大创新文化，并将研究成果集中于战略商业化。技术：俄亥俄州立大学(OSU)提出了一项为期3年的两国(美国、芬兰)项目，以促进印刷有机电子技术的发展，特别是使用有机隧道二极管(OTD)和与有机场效应晶体管(OFET)集成的电路。其独特的负差分电阻(NDR)将减少OFET器件数量，同时降低功耗。节能电路将是自动供电传感器节点的关键，用于物联网(IoT)数万亿对象的密集网络。与坦佩雷大学的国际合作。芬兰图坦卡蒙理工学院与原子层沉积(ALD)工具制造商Picosun(芬兰)合作，将为大面积快速滚转(R2R)技术提供合作机会，以扩大现有基础研究的典型规模，同时增进材料的发现和理解。该项目的一个主要目标是与韦恩州立大学(WSU)合作，开发新型的ALD前体和氧化剂，并开发工艺，以探索用于具有工程氧空位(缺陷能级、态密度等)的金属氧化物隧道势垒的非化学计量比ALD。关键控制与OTD缺陷相关的隧道过程，从而基于NDR的器件性能。该团队在使用室温NDR的第一个基于共轭聚合物的隧道二极管电路方面取得的进展，为低功耗便携式电路(逻辑、存储器和混合信号)带来了新的机遇。NDR电路可以提供(I)组件数量减少(更多单位面积的计算能力)，(Ii)更低的功耗(每个逻辑功能的器件更少)。为社会和人类带来的巨大好处：1)低成本、超低功耗的自主塑料电子存储、逻辑和无线系统；2)兼容有限的有机物热预算的先进的高K电介质；3)了解缺陷及其在通过薄的高K电介质进行隧道传输中的作用；4)用于大批量生产的大面积R2R电子印刷。留学生和国际交流：全日制研究生将在这里得到直接支持。REU补充剂将为这个团队补充1-2名本科生，以及国际科学访问。

Abstract: Non-technical: The team at Ohio State University, through an accidental discovery under NSF, is undergraduate research funding, developed and advanced a new organic tunnel diode using a hybrid junction incorporating a thin metal oxide and a solution-based organic semiconductor atop. This patented device is the first such structure to genuinely exhibit selective tunneling at room temperature using a scalable printable process. The current versus voltage characteristics are unique amongst semiconductor devices, looking like a capital letter (N). So, unlike most devices, a line drawn through this (N) provides three intersections. The middle is unstable and unusable, but the first and third provide for a simple way to store 1-bit, a (0) or a (1), using a single tunnel diode with another circuit element, such as a second tunnel diode or transistor, as the load. This project builds upon previous advances by building a multi-institutional team (Wayne State University, Tampere University of Technology, Aalto University and Picosun) spanning two countries (USA and Finland). The properties of this thin metal oxide tunneling barrier are key to the discovered operation. This project seeks a new way to deposit this layer that would permit large area deposition across flexible substrates, reaching a meter wide. Through collaborations with Finnish industry, we will increase the competitiveness and position of US industry and advance the intelligence and functionality of organic electronics, solar cells, electronic printing and atomic layer deposition technology. Participation of industry and international collaborators will broaden the culture of innovation and focus the research output towards strategic commercialization. Technical: Ohio State University (OSU) proposes a 3-year bi-national (USA, Finland) project to advance printed organic electronics, particularly using organic tunnel diodes (OTD) and circuits integrated with organic field effect transistors (OFET). Their unique negative differential resistance (NDR) will reduce OFET device count, while concurrently reducing power consumption. Energy thrifty circuits will be key for autonomously powered sensor nodes for a dense network of trillions of objects for the Internet of Things (IoT). International teaming with Tampere Univ. of Technology (TUT-Finland) and Picosun (Finland), an atomic layer deposition (ALD) tool manufacturer, will provide collaborative opportunities for large-area rapid roll-to-roll (R2R) technologies to prototypical scale-up of the existing fundamental studies while enhancing materials discovery and understanding. A key aim of this project is working with Wayne State University (WSU) for novel ALD precursor and oxidizer discovery and process development to explore non-stoichiometric ALD for metal oxide tunnel barriers with engineering oxygen vacancies (energy level of defects, density-of-states, etc.) that critically control OTD defect related tunneling processes and therefore device performance based on NDR. Advances by this team for the first conjugated polymer based tunnel diode circuitry using room temperature NDR enable new opportunities for low-power consumption portable circuitry (logic, memory and mixed-signal). NDR circuitry can provide (i) component count reduction (more computational power per unit area), (ii) lower power consumption (fewer devices per logic function). Tremendous benefits to society and humankind: 1) Low-cost, ultra-low power autonomous plastic electronic memory, logic and wireless systems; 2) Advanced high-K dielectrics compatible with the limited thermal budget of organics; 3) Understanding of defects and their role in tunneling transport through thin high-K dielectrics; 4) Large-area, R2R electronic printing for high volume production. Students and international exchange: A full-time graduate student will be directly supported here. REU supplements will supplement this team with 1-2 undergraduates, along with international scientific visitations.