Introduction to

Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor
Field Effect Transistors
(MOSFETs)

Chapter 7, Anderson and Anderson

 MOSFET
• History
• Structure
• Future
• Review
• Threshold Voltage
• I-V Characteristics
• Modifications to I-V:
– Depletion layer correction (Sup. 3)
– Mobility, Vsat
– Short Channel Effects
– Channel Length Modulation
– Channel Quantum Effects
• MOSFET Scaling and Current Topics (Literature + Sup. 3)
• Subthreshold Behavior
• Damage and Temperature (Sup. 3)
• Spice (Sup. 3)
• HFET, MESFET, JFET, DRAM, CCD (Some in Sup. 3)
 MOSFET History (Very Short!)
• First Patents:
– 1935
• Variable Capacitor Proposed:
– 1959
• Silicon MOS:
– 1960
• Clean PMOS, NMOS:
– Late 1960s, big growth!
• CCDs:
– 1970s, Bell Labs
• Switch to CMOS:
– 1980s
 Structure: n-channel MOSFET
(NMOS)
gate: metal or heavily doped poly-Si
G
(bulk or body source IG=0 drain
substrate) B S D
ID=IS
y IS

metal
oxide

n+ n+
p
x

W
L
 MOSFET Future (One Part of)
• International Technology Roadmap for
Semiconductors, 2008 update.
• Look at size, manufacturing technique.
From Intel
 Structure: n-channel MOSFET
(NMOS)
gate: metal or heavily doped poly-Si
G
(bulk or body source IG=0 drain
substrate) B S D
ID=IS
y IS

metal
oxide

n+ n+
p
x

W
L
MOSFET Scaling
ECE G201
Gate

prevents “top” gate

Fin (30nm)

BOX
 Circuit Symbol (NMOS)
enhancement-type: no channel at zero gate voltage

D
ID= IS

G B (IB=0, should be reverse biased)

IG= 0

IS G-Gate
D-Drain
S S-Source
B-Substrate or Body
 Structure: n-channel MOSFET
(NMOS)
gate: metal or heavily doped poly-Si
G
(bulk or body source IG=0 drain
substrate) B S D
ID=IS
y IS

metal
oxide

n+ n+
p
x

W
L
 Energy bands
(“flat band” condition; not equilibrium) (equilibrium)
Flatbands! For this choice of materials, VGS<0
n+pn+ structure  ID ~ 0
gate
G
body source drain
B S - + D
VD=Vs

n++
oxide

n+ n+
p

W
L
Flatbands < VGS < VT (Includes VGS=0 here).
n+-depletion-n+ structure  ID ~ 0
gate
G
body source drain
B S - + D
VD=Vs
+++
n++
oxide

n+ n+
p

W
L
 VGS > VT
n+-n-n+ structure  inversion
gate
G
body source drain
B S - + D
VD=Vs
+++
+++
+++
n++
oxide

n+ ----- n+
p

W
L
 Channel Charge (Qch)

VGS>VT
Depletion region
charge (QB) is due
to uncovered acceptor ions

Qch
 n++
n+ n+
p

W
L

(x)

Ec(y) with VDS=0

Increasing VGS decreases EB

EB

EF ~ EC

y
0 L
 Triode Region
A voltage-controlled resistor @small VDS

B S D
- +
ID
+++
+++ VGS1>Vt
increasing
metal
- oxide
- - -
VGS
n+ n+
p

B S -+ D

+++ VGS2>VGS1
+++
+++
metal G
- -oxide
- - --
n+ n+
p
cut-off VDS
B S -+ D
0.1 v
+++ VGS3>VGS2
+++ +++
+++
metal
Increasing VGS puts more
n+
- - -oxide
------
p
n+ charge in the channel, allowing
more drain current to flow
 Saturation Region
occurs at large VDS
As the drain voltage increases, the difference in
voltage between the drain and the gate becomes
smaller. At some point, the difference is too small
to maintain the channel near the drain  pinch-off
gate
G
body source drain
+
B S - D

+++ VDS large

+++
+++
metal
oxide

n+ n+
p
 Saturation Region
occurs at large VDS
The saturation region is when the MOSFET
experiences pinch-off.
Pinch-off occurs when VG - VD is less than VT.
gate
G
body source drain
+
B S - D

+++ VDS large

+++
+++
metal
oxide

n+ n+
p
 Saturation Region
occurs at large VDS
VGS - VDS < VT or VGD < VT
VDS > VGS - VT

gate
G
body source drain
+
B S - D

+++ VD>>Vs
+++
+++
metal
oxide

n+ n+
p
 Saturation Region
once pinch-off occurs, there is no further increase in
drain current
ID saturation
triode
VDS>VGS-VT
increasing
VDS<VGS-VT
VGS

VDS
0.1 v
Band diagram of triode and saturation
 Simplified MOSFET I-V Equations
Cut-off: VGS< VT
ID = I S = 0
Triode: VGS>VT and VDS < VGS-VT
ID = kn’(W/L)[(VGS-VT)VDS - 1/2VDS2]
Saturation: VGS>VT and VDS > VGS-VT
ID = 1/2kn’(W/L)(VGS-VT)2

where kn’= (electron mobility)x(gate capacitance)

= n(ox/tox) …electron velocity = nE
and VT depends on the doping concentration and gate material used
(…more details later)
 Energy bands
(“flat band” condition; not equilibrium) (equilibrium)
 Channel Charge (Qch)

VGS>VT
Depletion region
charge (QB) is due
to uncovered acceptor ions

Qch
Threshold Voltage Definition

VGS = VT when the carrier

concentration in the channel
is equal to the carrier
concentration in the bulk
silicon.

Mathematically, this occurs

when s=2f ,
where s is called the
surface potential