Nanoscale vacuum channel transistors (NVCTs) have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation micro/nano electronic systems owing to their quasi-ballistic electron transport, exceptional thermal stability and inherent radiation tolerance. However, existing studies on NVCTs are still predominantly confined to device-level investigations, with emphasis on material selection, structural optimization and I-V characterization, while their potential for cross-domain functional applications remains largely unexplored. This work aims to investigate the feasibility of extending NVCTs toward functional sensing applications by integrating them with piezoelectric sensing units for the perception of dynamic mechanical stimuli.
A bioinspired intelligent piezoelectric NVCT (Piezo-NVCT) is proposed by integrating an NVCT with a piezoelectric sensing unit that generates a piezoelectric potential in response to mechanical stress. The operating mechanism is systematically studied through theoretical analysis, structural design, and numerical simulations. Two operating configurations, namely the gate-input and cathode-input configurations, are modeled and comparatively analyzed to evaluate their modulation efficiency and sensing sensitivity.
Theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that mechanical stress applied to the piezoelectric sensing unit produces a piezoelectric potential, which directly modulates the field emission current of the NVCT. Furthermore, the cathode-input configuration exhibits significantly enhanced sensitivity and output modulation compared with the gate-input configuration.
This study presents the first NVCT-based sensing architecture that directly couples piezoelectric-induced potentials with vacuum field emission for dynamic tactile force sensing. It establishes a new application paradigm for NVCTs beyond conventional device-level investigations and provides a feasibility pathway toward intelligent, bioinspired NVCT-based sensors.
