Draft:MOPFET
Submission declined on 12 March 2026 by RedShellMomentum (talk).
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Submission declined on 6 March 2026 by Pythoncoder (talk). This draft appears to contain text generated by a large language model (such as ChatGPT). You cannot use LLMs to generate article content.
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Submission declined on 21 January 2026 by Stuartyeates (talk). This draft's references do not show that the subject meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that:
Declined by Stuartyeates 6 months ago.
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Comment: Please don't resubmit the draft without making any changes to it. Thank you. RedShellMomentum 01:31, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
- Comment: Needs independent secondary sources. Stuartyeates (talk) 00:45, 21 January 2026 (UTC)
 MOPFET architectures: (a) self-generating; (b) separate medium; (c) integrated circuit | |
| Component type | Field-effect transistor |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Massood Tabib-Azar, Wen Yuan, Faisal K. Chowdhury |
A microplasma field-effect transistor (MOPFET) is a type of field-effect transistor that uses a plasma channel instead of a semiconductor channel to control current flow. Unlike conventional MOSFETs, MOPFETs conduct electricity through ions and electrons in a gaseous medium (typically helium, argon, or neon) at atmospheric pressure.[1] Microplasma-based switching devices have attracted significant research interest due to their potential for harsh environment operation and ultrafast switching capabilities.[2]
History
[edit]The first plasma transistor was demonstrated in 2008 by K.F. Chen and J. Gary Eden at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which coupled a microcavity plasma device with a controllable electron emitter.[3] The MOPFET architecture was developed at the University of Utah by Massood Tabib-Azar's group, with the first device demonstrated in January 2012.[1] Subsequent work reduced the device gap size and turn-on voltage, with sub-3-micrometer gap devices achieving turn-on voltages as low as 50 V in 2014.[4] The development was covered by technology media outlets including PhysOrg and ScienceDaily.[5][6]
Structure
[edit]A MOPFET consists of three terminals—source, drain, and gate—similar to a MOSFET. The source and drain electrodes are separated by a microscale gap (typically 1–10 μm) filled with noble gas at atmospheric pressure. The gate electrode is positioned between the source and drain and modulates the plasma breakdown voltage through electric field effects on secondary electron density.[7]
The device operates in the sub-Paschen breakdown regime. At electrode gaps smaller than approximately 10 μm at atmospheric pressure, ion-enhanced field emission causes the breakdown voltage to depend approximately linearly on channel length, rather than following the exponential relationship predicted by the standard Paschen curve.[8] This sub-Paschen regime behavior has been confirmed through independent numerical simulations.[9]
Operating principle
[edit]The gate voltage controls the concentration of secondary electrons in the channel. Secondary electrons are primarily responsible for avalanche breakdown in the plasma. A positive gate bias attracts electrons away from the channel, reducing their concentration and increasing the breakdown voltage. A negative gate bias repels electrons that would otherwise be absorbed by the gate electrode, increasing secondary electron concentration and lowering the breakdown voltage.[7] These operating principles have been validated through independent two-dimensional simulations.[9]
MOPFETs have demonstrated drain current modulation speeds of 7 GHz, comparable to conventional MOSFETs.[7] Related microplasma and nanoplasma switch architectures developed by independent research groups have achieved even faster picosecond-scale switching speeds.[2][10]
Materials
[edit]Electrode materials must resist ion sputtering. Tungsten is preferred due to its high melting point (3422 °C), high density, and low sputter yield. Copper is also used for its high thermal conductivity (401 W/m·K), which helps dissipate heat from the electrodes.[7]
Applications
[edit]MOPFETs are suited to harsh environments where conventional semiconductor devices may fail:[1][7][10]
- High-temperature operation (up to 1000 °C)
- High ionizing radiation environments such as nuclear reactors and space
- Chemical sensing and air quality monitoring
- X-ray generation for lithography
- Reconfigurable antennas and circuits
Additional advantages include very large off-to-on resistance ratios (1010 Ω to 0.1 Ω), improved operation in the presence of ionizing radiation, and the ability to conduct large currents.[7] Microplasma switches have attracted considerable attention for harsh environment applications including satellites, space exploration, nuclear reactors, and oil drilling.[11]
Further research
[edit]Since the initial development of MOPFETs, independent research groups worldwide have continued to advance microplasma switching technology. Researchers at EPFL in Switzerland demonstrated nanoplasma switches achieving picosecond switching speeds with results published in Nature in 2020, demonstrating power-frequency performance exceeding conventional III-V semiconductor electronics.[2] The same group subsequently demonstrated kilowatt-range pulsed-power sources using microplasma switches with voltage rising rates beyond 10 kV/ns at 15 kW peak power.[10]
Research groups in China have developed microplasma switches enhanced with silicon nanowire arrays to improve switching performance. The inclusion of silicon nanowires facilitates electron injection through field enhancement at the nanowire tips, achieving approximately 59% reduction in ignition voltage, 1.77 times improvement in gate current, and 98% reduction in delay jitter compared to devices without nanowire decoration.[11][12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Yuan, Wen; Chowdhury, Faisal K.; Tabib-Azar, Massood (25–29 January 2012). Microplasma field effect transistors. 2012 IEEE 25th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS). Sorrento, Italy. pp. 293–296. doi:10.1109/MEMSYS.2012.6170146.
- 1 2 3 Nikoo, M. S.; Jafari, A.; Peber, N.; Zeng, H.; Matioli, E. (2020). "Nanoplasma-enabled picosecond switches for ultrafast electronics". Nature. 579 (7800): 534–539. Bibcode:2020Natur.579..534N. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2118-y. PMID 32214245.
- ↑ Chen, K.F.; Eden, J.G. (2008). "The Plasma Transistor: A Microcavity Plasma Device Coupled with a Low Voltage, Controllable Electron Emitter". Applied Physics Letters. 93 (16): 161501. Bibcode:2008ApPhL..93p1501C. doi:10.1063/1.2981573.
- ↑ Pai, Pradeep; Tabib-Azar, Massood (26–30 January 2014). Sub 3-micron gap microplasma FET with 50 V turn-on voltage. 2014 IEEE 27th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS). San Francisco, CA, USA. pp. 171–174. doi:10.1109/MEMSYS.2014.6765601.
- ↑ "Tiny transistors for extreme environs: Engineers shrink plasma devices to resist radiation". PhysOrg. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ↑ "Tiny transistors for extreme environs: Engineers shrink plasma devices to resist radiation". ScienceDaily. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tabib-Azar, Massood; Pai, Pradeep (2017). "Microplasma Field Effect Transistors". Micromachines. 8 (4): 29–35. doi:10.3390/mi8040117. PMC 6189715. PMID 30004567.
- ↑ Pai, Pradeep; Tabib-Azar, Massood (2014). "Micro-Plasma Field Effect Transistor Operating With DC Plasma". IEEE Electron Device Letters. 35 (5): 593–595. Bibcode:2014IEDL...35..593P. doi:10.1109/LED.2014.2308155.
- 1 2 Soltani, H.; Sohbatzadeh, F.; Zakeri-Khatir, H. (2021). "Numerical simulation of microplasma field-effect transistor at low voltages". Pramana. 95 (2) 56. doi:10.1007/s12043-021-02092-2. S2CID 233553518.
- 1 2 3 Nikoo, M. S.; Jafari, A.; Van Erp, R.; Matioli, E. (2021). "Kilowatt-Range Picosecond Switching Based on Microplasma Devices". IEEE Electron Device Letters. 42 (7): 1090–1093. Bibcode:2021IEDL...42.1090N. doi:10.1109/LED.2021.3066379 (inactive 23 January 2026). S2CID 232092095.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2026 (link) - 1 2 Chen, Lichi; Wang, Yaogong; Ma, Xiaoqin; Liu, Zhuoran; Wang, Wen-Jiang; Zhang, Xiaoning (2023). "A microplasma device and its switching behavior triggered by modulated pulse signal". Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. 56 (41): 415204. Bibcode:2023JPhD...56O5204C. doi:10.1088/1361-6463/ace653 (inactive 23 January 2026).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2026 (link) - ↑ Chen, Lichi; Wang, Yaogong; Li, Xueying; Han, Xiao; Ma, Xiaoqin; Wang, Wen-Jiang; Zhang, Xiaoning (2025). "Enhancing the switching performance of microplasma switches through the introduction of silicon nanowires". Physics of Plasmas. 32. doi:10.1063/5.0232058 (inactive 23 January 2026).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2026 (link)
Category:Transistor types Category:Field-effect transistors Category:Plasma physics
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