Field-effect transistor with a prismoidal controlling gate

A very short-channel field-effect transistor (FET), which is controlled by a nonplanar prismoidal gate, is proposed and its stationary JV characteristics are derived. The prismoidal gate effectively depletes a thin electron channel in a very narrow strip around the gate apex. Interaction of the channel electrons with a controlling gate potential is additionally focused by a selected two-layer dielectric separating the channel and gate. It is shown that in the considered FETs there exist both "standard" regimes characterized by quasisaturation of the drain current j(D), with an increase in the drain-source voltage u(DS), and nonstandard regimes, with drooping j(D)u(DS) characteristics and a "self-blocking" current j(D). We consider the dependence of the channel conductance on the gate curvature near the apex. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.