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Subthreshold PDF
Subthreshold PDF
R.R. Harrison
|QI|
slope = Cox
VGB
VT0
Depletion
Weak
inversion
Moderate
inversion
Strong
inversion
EE 5720/University of Utah
R.R. Harrison
log |QI|
QI (actual)
QI -exp(VGB)
QI = -Cox(VGB VT0)
VT0
Weak
inversion
Moderate
inversion
VGB
Strong
inversion
EE 5720/University of Utah
R.R. Harrison
VS
VG
VD
VGS
voltage
electron energy
reference voltage
Clearly, this model is insufficient to account for weak inversion since the
channel charge is zero. We have to add another degree of realism to our
model to account for subthreshold current flow: water vapor.
Electrons, like water molecules, can be excited by thermal energy into higher
energy levels. Although most water molecules have a potential energy at or
below the level of the liquid in the source and drain tanks, some water
molecules have gained enough energy (thermally) to rise above this level as
vapor. Similarly, a small fraction of electrons in the source and drain acquire
significantly more energy than the majority of charge carriers in the
conduction band.
The density of water vapor above a liquid follows a decaying exponential with
height (i.e., potential energy). Similarly, air pressure drops exponentially with
altitude. Electrons in a solid obey Fermi-Dirac statistics which leads to this
exponential distribution according to energy. This is similar to the MaxwellBoltzmann statistics obeyed by atoms in a gas. Lets add water vapor to our
fluid model:
EE 5720/University of Utah
R.R. Harrison
energy
VS
VG
VD
Q
VGS
voltage
electron energy
reference voltage
Now its clear that the inversion charge in the channel, while small, is an
exponential function of the barrier height. The barrier height represents the
surface potential s. As we mentioned before, in weak inversion the surface
potential is flat it does not change over the length of the channel. The
surface potential can be modeled fairly accurately by considering the
capacitive divider between the oxide capacitance Cox and the depletion
capacitance Cdep:
VG
VG
poly-Si
VS
VD
Cox
SiO2
n+
n+
s
Cdep
-
p silicon
VB
VB
Using the equation for a capacitive divider and assuming that VB = 0, we find
that:
s = VG
where kappa the gate coupling coefficient represents the coupling of the
gate to the surface potential:
C ox
C ox + C dep
EE 5720/University of Utah
R.R. Harrison
The depletion capacitance stays fairly constant over the subthreshold region,
and kappa is usually considered to be constant, although it increases slightly
with gate voltage. In modern CMOS processes, kappa ranges between 0.6 and
0.8. It can have slightly different values for pMOS and nMOS devices. A
good, all-around approximation for kappa (unless another value is given) is:
0.7
Some texts use n or (zeta) instead of , where n = = (1/) 1.4.
Now lets return to the fluid model for VDS > 0:
VG
VS
VG diffusion
VD
voltage
electron energy
reference voltage
V VG
QI 0 exp S
UT
V VG
exp D
QIL
UT
kT
26mV at room temperature
q
(We use U instead of V for voltage to avoid confusion with the threshold
voltage VT.)
EE 5720/University of Utah
R.R. Harrison
I D = WDn
(QI0 QIL )
W
nU T (QI0 QIL )
L
W
I D = I 0 e UT
L
V
UVS
D
e T e UT
V
W
exp G
L
UT
VS
exp
UT
VD
exp
UT
I 0n
U T2
2 n C ox
VT 0 n
exp
UT
V V S
W
exp G
L
UT
V DS
1 exp
UT
Notice that when exp(-VDS/UT) << 1, the last term is approximately equal to
one, and can be ignored. This occurs (to within 2%) for VDS > 4UT, since e-4
0.018. The expression for drain current then simplifies to:
ID = I0
V VS
W
exp G
L
UT
EE 5720/University of Utah
R.R. Harrison
VGS = 0.41V
VGS = 0.40V
Triode
region
VDS
EE 5720/University of Utah
R.R. Harrison
ID
ID grows as (VGS VT0)2
VGS
VT0
log ID
ID grows as exp(VG/UT)
slope = e-fold/(UT/)
factor of e
VGS
(UT/) 40mV
VT0
For a pFET, we have to consider the gate, drain, and source potentials with
respect with the well potential VW. Unlike the substrate, the well will not be
at ground, so we need to write it in explicitly:
ID = I0p
(VW V D )
(VW VG ) (VW VS )
W
exp
exp
exp
L
UT
UT
UT
I0p
U T2
2 p C ox
VT 0 p
exp
UT
EE 5720/University of Utah
R.R. Harrison
In saturation:
ID = I0
(VW VG ) (VW VS )
W
exp
L
UT
I D = I0
[VGS + (1 )VWS ]
W
exp
L
UT
gm =
I D
UT
V
I C = I S exp BE
UT
EE 5720/University of Utah
R.R. Harrison
Moderate Inversion
A transistor does not switch immediately from an exponential, weak-inversion
behavior to a quadratic, strong-inversion behavior. There is a smooth
transition between the two extremes where drift and diffusion generate the
current with neither effect dominating. Modeling this area is extremely
difficult, but the behavior is easily understood as a hybrid between weak- and
strong-inversion behavior.
reference voltage
VD
VS
voltage
electron energy
VG
strong inversion
moderate inversion
weak inversion
(This assumes that the threshold voltage VT has been adjusted for the body
effect, if necessary.)
EE 5720/University of Utah
10
R.R. Harrison
strong inversion
moderate inversion
ID < 0.1IS
weak inversion
U T2 W
2 C ox
Typical values of IS range from 100nA to 500nA for nFETs with W/L = 1, and
40nA to 120nA for pFETs with W/L = 1. Of course, for large W/L ratios, the
weak inversion region can extend well into the microamp range.
Example: In AMIs 0.5m CMOS process, nCox = 116A/V2 and pCox =
38A/V2. Estimate the boundaries between weak, moderate, and strong
inversion (in terms of drain currents) for nMOS and pMOS transistors with
W/L = 1 and W/L = 100. Assume = 0.7.
nFETs:
I Sn =
U T2 W
2 n C ox
= 220nA for W/L = 1
So for W/L = 1, the boundary between weak and moderate inversion is around
22nA, and the boundary between moderate and strong inversion is around 2.2A.
For W/L = 100, the boundary between weak and moderate inversion is around
2.2A, and the boundary between moderate and strong inversion is around 220A.
pFETs:
I Sp
U T2 W
2 p C ox
=
= 73nA for W/L = 1
L
So for W/L = 1, the boundary between weak and moderate inversion is around
7.3nA, and the boundary between moderate and strong inversion is around 0.73A.
For W/L = 100, the boundary between weak and moderate inversion is around
0.73A, and the boundary between moderate and strong inversion is around 73A.
EE 5720/University of Utah
11
R.R. Harrison
= 1 +
2 (1 + )
F
where
2qN sub
C ox
F =
kT N sub
ln
q
ni
=
C ox
ox
t ox
The parameter should be set between zero for extreme weak inversion
(near depletion mode) and one for the boundary between weak and
moderate inversion to account for the slight change in depletion
capacitance. Usually, = 0.5 is a good value to use for general-purpose use.
So all we really need to know is the oxide thickness (to determine Cox) and
the channel doping (Nsub) to estimate kappa. In SPICE models, oxide thickness
is called TOX (units = m) and the channel doping is called NSUB or NCH (units =
cm-3).
Example: An nFET has a substrate doping level of 1.7 x 1017cm-3 and an oxide
thickness of 139. Compute , using = 0.5.
tox = 1.39 10-6cm
Cox = 0.248F/cm2
= 0.960V1/2
F = 0.422V
= 0.62
EE 5720/University of Utah
12
R.R. Harrison
(VG VT 0 ) VS
I D = I S ln1 + exp
2U T
where
IS =
U T2 W
2 C ox
1 e D S
.
G (I D ) =
ID IS
I
Note that ID/IS is the inversion coefficient and that G(ID) approaches unity in
weak inversion.
EE 5720/University of Utah
13
R.R. Harrison
I D
UT
G (I D )
where
G (I D ) =
(I D
1
1
IS )+
ID IS +1
2
or
G (I D ) =
1 + 1 + 4(I D I S )
Either function seems to work well. The latter expression is a bit easier to
calculate.
EE 5720/University of Utah
14
R.R. Harrison
Circles represent measured data from a real transistor. Note that in the moderate inversion
region, both strong and weak inversion models overestimate the true transconductance
EE 5720/University of Utah
15