Electric field-effect thermal transistors and logic gates

A prototype of electric field-effect thermal transistor (EFETT) and the derived thermal logic gates are proposed, using electric potentials as inputs and temperature as outputs. The EFETT works on the modulation of near-field thermal photons transferred between the source and the drain semiconductors by the electric field-effect induced by gate voltage, thus altering the heat current and terminal temperature. It is demonstrated that arbitrary thermal logic gates can be built based on the EFETT conveniently. The characteristics of the EFETTs and the realized thermal logic gates are analyzed quantitatively. The proposed prototype opens a new avenue for the design of thermal transistors and thermal circuits which may motivate their applications for thermal information processing and thermal management.