An all-solid-state electric-double-layer transistor (EDLT) with a Y-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) proton conductor/SrTiO₃ (STO) single crystal has been fabricated to investigate ionic conductivity effect on the response speed, which should be a key parameter for development of next-generation EDLTs. The drain current exhibited a 4-order-of-magnitude increment by electrostatic carrier doping at the YSZ/STO interface due to ion migration, and the behavior strongly depended on the operation temperature. An Arrhenius-type plot of the ionic conductivity (σ(i)) in the YSZ and t(c)⁻¹, which is a current-rise time needed for charge accumulation at the YSZ/STO interface, shows a synchronized variation, indicating a proportional relationship between the two parameters. Analysis of the σ(i)-t(c) diagram shows that, in contrast to conventional EDLTs, the response speed should reach picosecond order at room temperature by using extreme miniaturization and superionic conductors. Furthermore, the diagram indicates that plenty of solid electrolytes, which have not been used due to the lack of criteria for evaluation, can be a candidate for all-solid-state EDLTs exceeding the carrier density of conventional EDLTs, even though the response speed becomes comparably lower than those of FETs.
Keywords: all-solid-state; electric-double-layer; nanoionics; proton conductor; solid-state ionics.