Ternary Logic Design Based on Novel Tunneling-Drift-Diffusion Field-Effect Transistors

In this paper, a novel Tunneling-Drift-Diffusion Field-Effect Transistor (TDDFET) based on the combination of the quantum tunneling and conventional drift-diffusion mechanisms is proposed for the design of ternary logic circuits. The working principle of the TDDFET is analyzed in detail. Then, the device is packaged as a “black box” based on the table lookup method and further embedded into the HSPICE platform using the Verilog-A language. The basic unit circuits, such as the Standard Ternary Inverter (STI), Negative Ternary Inverter (NTI), Positive Ternary Inverter (PTI), Ternary NAND gate (T-NAND), and Ternary NOR gate (T-NOR), are designed. In addition, based on the designed unit circuits, the combinational logic circuits, such as the Ternary Encoder (T-Encoder), Ternary Decoder (T-Decoder), and Ternary Half Adder (T-HA), and the sequential logic circuits, such as the Ternary D-Latch and edge-triggered Ternary D Flip-Flop (T-DFF), are built, which has important significance for the subsequent investigation of ternary logic circuits.