Electrochemical clock and oscillator devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10135015-B1
Application number	US-201715802215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 2, 2017
Priority date	Nov 2, 2017
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

One embodiment provides an oscillator. The oscillator can include an organic electrochemical transistor, which comprises a channel and a dynamic gate. The channel can include one of: a conductive polymer, a conductive inorganic material, and a small-molecule material. An electrochemical potential of the dynamic gate can vary substantially periodically, thereby resulting in the organic electrochemical transistor having a drain current that varies substantially periodically.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oscillator, comprising:
an organic electrochemical transistor, which comprises a channel and a dynamic gate, wherein the dynamic gate comprises an electrochemical reaction system comprising at least two cross-coupled reaction pathways;
wherein the channel comprises one of: a conductive polymer, a conductive inorganic material, and a small-molecule material; and
wherein an electrochemical potential of the dynamic gate varies substantially periodically, thereby resulting in the organic electrochemical transistor having a drain current that varies substantially periodically.

2. The oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the conductive polymer comprises poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS).

3. The oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the at least two reaction pathways comprise a direct pathway of formic acid oxidation and an indirect pathway of the formic acid oxidation.

4. The oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic gate comprises a gate electrode, a gate electrolyte, and a counter-electrode, and wherein the gate electrode is coupled to the counter-electrode via the gate electrolyte.

5. The oscillator of claim 4 , wherein the dynamic gate further comprises a current source configured to provide a constant current between the gate electrode and the counter-electrode.

6. The oscillator of claim 5 , wherein the constant current is between 10 nA and 1 mA.

7. The oscillator of claim 4 , wherein the dynamic gate further comprises a voltage source configured to provide a constant voltage bias between the gate electrode and the counter-electrode.

8. The oscillator of claim 7 , wherein the constant voltage is between 100 mV and 10 V.

9. The oscillator of claim 4 , further comprising a channel electrolyte positioned between the channel and the dynamic gate.

10. The oscillator of claim 9 , further comprising a membrane separating the gate electrolyte and the channel electrolyte.

11. The oscillator of claim 10 , wherein the membrane comprises one or more of:
a porous glass frit,
an ion-selective membrane,
an ion-conductive glass,
a polymer membrane, and
an ionically conductive membrane.

12. The oscillator of claim 9 , wherein the gate electrolyte or the channel electrolyte comprises one or more of:
water,
an organic solvent,
an ionic liquid, and
a polymer electrolyte.

13. The oscillator of claim 12 , wherein the gate electrolyte or the channel electrolyte comprises a dissolved organic or inorganic species.

14. The oscillator of claim 1 , wherein the drain current of the organic electrochemical transistor varies with time at a frequency between 10 μHz and 100 Hz.

15. A method for fabricating an oscillator, the method comprising:
forming a channel, wherein the channel comprises one of: a conductive polymer, a conductive inorganic material, and a small-molecule material; and
forming a dynamic gate coupled to the polymer-based channel, wherein the dynamic gate comprises an electrochemical reaction system comprising at least two cross-coupled reaction pathways;
wherein an electrochemical potential of the dynamic gate varies substantially periodically, thereby resulting in the organic electrochemical transistor having a drain current that varies substantially periodically.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least two reaction pathways comprise a direct pathway of formic acid oxidation and an indirect pathway of the formic acid oxidation.

17. An organic electrochemical transistor, comprising:
a channel, wherein the channel comprises one of: a conductive polymer, a conductive inorganic material, and a small-molecule material; and
a dynamic gate coupled to the polymer-based channel via a channel electrolyte,
wherein the dynamic gate comprises a gate electrode and a counter-electrode separated from the gate electrode by a gate electrolyte, and wherein an electrochemical potential of the dynamic gate is time-varying, thereby resulting in the organic electrochemical transistor having a drain current that is time-varying.

18. The organic electrochemical transistor of claim 17 , wherein the gate electrolyte comprises formic acid.

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc

Inventors

• Doris Sean E

Classifications

• H03K3/354 Primary

  Astable circuits · CPC title

• H03K3/40

  by the use, as active elements, of electrochemical cells · CPC title

• H01L51/10

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/0508 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/0037

  Electricity · mapped topic