Reconfigurable Dual-Gate Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistors Based on Semiconducting Polymer for Logic Operations and Synaptic Applications

Abstract

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), with their potential for low-cost manufacturing and compatibility with flexible substrates, have emerged as an indispensable element in next-generation electronics. However, the existing OFETs are significantly hindered by their lack of reconfigurability and multifunctionality for application in complex electronic systems. To address these limitations, we propose a novel design strategy to develop a dual-gate organic field-effect transistor (DG-OFET), primarily featuring a synergistic combination of interface charge trapping and the nonvolatile nature of ferroelectric polarization, which realizes the multifunctional integration within a single platform. Specifically, the DG-OFET can be utilized as synaptic devices that can successfully perform both short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity by manipulating the input gate of artificial pulse voltages, depending on the switching mechanism between bottom-gate controlled electrostatic doping and top-gate induced ferroelectric polarization. Besides, the presynaptic spike applied to a specific gate electrode can trigger the excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic current response. The potentiation and depression of synaptic weight are mimicked by consecutive positive and negative spikes, respectively. The dual-gate coupling strategy further expands its functionality towards simulating the operation of logic gates. By modulating the combination of dual-gate input signals, the channel conductivity can analogously perform a family of elementary Boolean logic operations, including AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR, and XNOR. These results highlight the electronic reconfigurability of DG-OFET and tremendous potential for applications in energy-efficient neuromorphic computing networks and organic circuits, thus providing a versatile strategy for the development of advanced and efficient multifunctional integration.

Keywords

Boolean logic operations / dual-gate transistors / ferroelectric material / polymer semiconductor / synaptic plasticity

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