As the low-frequency noise of a transistor grows nonnegligible in advanced technologies, the possibility of using noise for computation is becoming an alternative, receiving more and more attention. The ability to control the noise level would further enrich the flexibility of the circuit design. Therefore, this letter presents a dual-gate field-effect transistor in an octagonal shape. By changing the voltage of an extra gate above the shallow trench isolation, the transistor is able to adapt its low-frequency noise over several decades and in a power-efficient manner. The octagonal geometry further makes sufficient a voltage range from 0 to 5 V for the noise adaptation. Moreover, the transistor is fabricated with the standard CMOS logic process without additional masks. All the features underpin the development of large-scale noisy computation in integrated circuits.Index Terms-Dual-gate transistor, low-frequency noise, noise adaptability, shallow trench isolation (STI).
Noise is found to play a beneficial rather than harmful role for neural computation. For example, the sensory neurons exploit stochastic resonance to enhance their sensitivity. This finding has inspired several neuromorphic systems attempting to use noise for computation. Nevertheless, an adaptable noise source is essential for taking the most advantages of noise. This letter presents a resist-protection-oxide (RPO) transistor, which is a defect-rich transistor between the drain implant and the gate. The RPO defects enhance greatly the low-frequency noise of the transistor. The noise level is further adaptable over two decades by the drain voltage. Moreover, the transistor is fully compatible with the standard CMOS logic technology without requiring additional masks or process steps. All the features underpin the development of stochastic neuromorphic computation in integrated circuits.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.