Three-Independent-Gate Transistors: The Swiss Army Knife of Devices [Special Section on 2025 IEEE Kirchhoff Award]

Alongside efforts to advance transistor scaling, an alternative strategy to enhance the performance of computing systems involves expanding the functionality of basic transistors through additional gate controls. Three-Independent-Gate Field-Effect Transistors (TIGFETs) exemplify such devices, offering multiple modes of operation depending on the gate terminal biasing. Specifically, these devices enable: 1) polarity control at the device level; 2) dynamic threshold modulation; and 3) subthreshold slope tuning, including ultra-steep-slope operation. This increased functionality at the device level unlocks a range of opportunities for digital circuit design.