Low-Power CMOS-like Digital Circuits on Flexible Substrates

Interest in low-cost, low-thermal budget flexible electronics is growing, fueled by flexible displays, conformable body sensors, and inexpensive IoT devices. The suitability of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), transition metal oxide, and organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) have been demonstrated for the realization of inexpensive large-area fabrication capabilities to varying degrees of success. Application of such technologies are in medical, biological, environmental, and consumer electronics. Thin-film transistor technologies often have only n-type transistor, and the realization of CMOS-like logic gates becomes a challenge. Conventional approaches to realize logic gates in such technologies result in limited swing and excessive direct-path current. In this article, we review the state of the art and describe the realization of innovative low-leakage, full-swing TFT based logic gate design. The proposed inverter design reduces the power by 89% compared to conventional inverter.