Reconfigurable Logic Gate Enabled by Dual-Gating of Silicon Nanomembrane Field-Effect Transistors

Abstract

Conventional processors often underutilize their computational resources because of the fixed functionality of logic gates; numerous logic gates should be embedded to support all necessary operations, even if many of them are rarely used. Reconfigurable logic gates (RLGs) offer a promising solution as they dynamically switch their logical functionality according to the demands of specific operations. Here, a novel RLG architecture based on the dual-gate silicon nanomembrane (SiNM) field-effect transistors (FETs) is proposed. By reconfiguring the electrostatic doping profiles of the SiNM channel, the dual-gate SiNM FET can operate as three distinct electronic components; a forward-biased diode, a backward-biased diode, and a variable resistor. Furthermore, the three dual-gate SiNM FETs are integrated to implement a single RLG, whose Boolean logic functions can be reconfigured between AND and OR operations. In addition, an array of three RLGs can be used to perform 32-bit masking operations, thereby validating their effectiveness in digital data processing.