Tribotronic triggers and sequential logic circuits

In this paper, a floating-gate tribotronic transistor (FGTT) based on a mobile triboelectric layer and a traditional silicon-based field-effect transistor (FET) is proposed. In the FGTT, the triboelectric charges in the layer created by contact electrification can be used to modulate charge carrier transport in the transistor. Based on the FGTTs and FETs, a tribotronic negated AND (NAND) gate that achieves mechanical-electrical coupled inputs, logic operations, and electrical level outputs is fabricated. By further integrating tribotronic NAND gates with traditional digital circuits, several basic units such as the tribotronic S-R trigger, D trigger, and T trigger have been demonstrated. Additionally, tribotronic sequential logic circuits such as registers and counters have also been integrated to enable external contact triggered storage and computation. In contrast to the conventional sequential logic units controlled by electrical signals, contact-triggered tribotronic sequential logic circuits are able to realize direct interaction and integration with the external environment. This development can lead to their potential application in micro/nano-sensors, electromechanical storage, interactive control, and intelligent instrumentation.