Mechanically Gated Transistor.

Silicon-based field effect transistors (FETs) have underpinned the information revolution in the last 60 years, and there is a strong desire for new materials, devices and architectures that can help sustain the computing power in the age of big data and artificial intelligence. Inspired by the Piezo channels, we develop a mechanically gated transistor (MGT) abandoning electric gating altogether, achieving ON/OFF ratio over three orders of magnitude under a mechanical force of hundreds of nN. The two-terminal device utilizes flexoelectric polarization induced by strain gradient, which modulates the carrier concentration in a Van der Waals (vdW) structure significantly, and it mimics Piezo channels for artificial tactile perception. This simple device concept can be easily adapted in a wide range of semiconducting materials, helping promote the fusion between mechanics and electronics in a similar way as mechanobiology. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.