Speaker
Apply to be<br> considered for a student <br> award (Yes / No)?
Yes
Level for award<br> (Hons, MSc, <br> PhD)?
PhD
Would you like to <br> submit a short paper <br> for the Conference <br> Proceedings (Yes / No)?
Yes
Main supervisor (name and email)<br>and his / her institution
Prof. Margit Harting, margit.harting@uct.ac.za
Abstract content <br> (Max 300 words)
We demonstrate a fully printed transistor with a planar triode geometry, using nanoparticulate silicon as the semiconductor material, which has a unique mode of operation as an electrically controlled two-way (double throw) switch. A signal applied to the base changes the direction of the current from between the collector and base to between the base and emitter. We further show that the switching characteristic results from the activated charge transport in the semiconductor material, and that it is independent of the dominant carrier type in the semiconductor and the nature of the junction between the semiconductor and the three contacts. The same equivalent circuit, and hence similar device characteristics, can be produced using any other material combination with non-linear current-voltage characteristics, such as a suitable combination of semiconducting and conducting materials, such that a Schottky junction is present at all three contacts.
We present performance results for two design variants of the printed transistor and confirm our interpretation of the device’s operation by constructing a model circuit using individual varistors.
