Unidirectional transfer properties of the plasma-coupled shift register

Features of bipolar-type shift register (SR), utilizing a plasma-coupled device (PCD) for transferring potential variation through the bulk are described. The coupling-resistance parameter was studied to estimate the shift-register operation. To analyze the coupling resistance, an equivalent PCD circuit model was deduced from the device structure. The model sufficiently accounts for the features of unidirectional propagation based on an essentially geometrical design. To attain preferentially unidirectional signal propagation, an anti-symmetrical element configuration and an extended probe structure were fabricated, and the unidirectional transfer effect was investigated theoretically as well as experimentally. The relation between the operation margin and the device parameter, cell pitch length, and substrate resistivity, are discussed utilizing the antisymmetrical concept. High packing density, low operation voltage, and fewer shift pulses were predicted to be possible from the analytical estimations and were confirmed by the experimental results.