Differential Fowler-Nordheim Tunneling Dynamical System for Attojoule Sensing and Recording

Area of Science:

• Electronics
• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Dynamical systems offer a pathway for developing efficient energy rectifiers.
• Existing recorders face limitations in detecting and utilizing ultra-low energy signals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement a time-domain, near-zero-threshold energy rectifier using a dynamical system.
• To demonstrate a circuit capable of sensing and recording low-energy signals with environmental compensation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a pair of differential, leaky floating-gate dynamical systems.
• Implemented Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling current for the leakage process.
• Fabricated devices using a 0.5 μm standard CMOS process.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated signal modulation by energy levels below femtojoules.
• Showcased self-powering capability using biopotential energy sources.
• Achieved recording of 6 mV events with over 30 minutes of data retention.

Conclusions:

• The proposed FN-system enables self-powered recording of ultra-low energy biopotential signals.
• Signal modulation characteristics allow for potential input signal reconstruction.
• The technology offers a significant advancement for low-power sensing and energy harvesting applications.