Dual-Gate Thin-Film Transistors, Integrated Circuits and Sensors

The first dual-gate thin-film transistor (DGTFT) was reported in 1981 with CdSe as the semiconductor. Other TFT technologies such as a-Si:H and organic semiconductors have led to additional ways of making DGTFTs. DGTFTs contain a second gate dielectric with a second gate positioned opposite of the first gate. The main advantage is that the threshold voltage can be set as a function of the applied second gate bias. The shift depends on the ratio of the capacitances of the two gate dielectrics. Here we review the fast growing field of DGTFTs. We summarize the reported operational mechanisms, and the application in logic gates and integrated circuits. The second emerging application of DGTFTs is sensitivity enhancement of existing ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFET). The reported sensing mechanism is discussed and an outlook is presented.