Apparatus for sensing patterns of electrical field variations across a surface

Patent · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2001

OSTI ID:874063

Warren, William L ^[1]; Devine, Roderick A. B. ^[2]

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1. Arlington, VA
2. Paris, FR

An array of nonvolatile field effect transistors used to sense electric potential variations. The transistors owe their nonvolatility to the movement of protons within the oxide layer that occurs only in response to an externally applied electric potential between the gate on one side of the oxide and the source/drain on the other side. The position of the protons within the oxide layer either creates or destroys a conducting channel in the adjacent source/channel/drain layer below it, the current in the channel being measured as the state of the nonvolatile memory. The protons can also be moved by potentials created by other instrumentalities, such as charges on fingerprints or styluses above the gates, pressure on a piezoelectric layer above the gates, light shining upon a photoconductive layer above the gates. The invention allows sensing of fingerprints, handwriting, and optical images, which are converted into digitized images thereof in a nonvolatile format.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the United States Department (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 6304666
• OSTI ID: 874063
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

apparatus
sensing
patterns
electrical
field
variations
surface
array
nonvolatile
effect
transistors
sense
electric
potential
nonvolatility
movement
protons
oxide
layer
occurs
response
externally
applied
gate
sourcedrain
position
creates
destroys
conducting
channel
adjacent
sourcechanneldrain
below
current
measured
memory
moved
potentials
created
instrumentalities
charges
fingerprints
styluses
gates
pressure
piezoelectric
light
shining
photoconductive
allows
handwriting
optical
images
converted
digitized
format
oxide layer
effect transistor
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