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MOSFET Operation: Step-by-Step

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MOSFET Operation: Step-by-Step

The channel current is carried by inversion charge at the


semiconductor/oxide interface. This charge is controlled
by the gate voltage
The threshold voltage VT defines the onset of strong
inversion in the channel
The channel current saturates at a sufficiently high drain-
source voltage.

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MOSFET Operation: Step-by-Step
In the sub-threshold regime, the drain current is a small
leakage current since only a small number of electrons can
pass over the potential barrier separating the drain and the
source. This regime is called the sub-threshold regime of
operation. An increase in a gate voltage in this regime leads
to a reduction of the barrier height and, hence, to an
exponential increase of this small sub-threshold current. At
larger gate voltages, the barrier is reduced so much that
electrons can enter the channel from the source and
effectively from the second conducting plate of the MIS
capacitor. At that point, a further increase in the gate voltage
leads to a proportional increase of the electronic charge, qns,
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in the channel.
MOSFET Example

Example
The electron concentration in the drain and source contact
regions of a Si MOSFET is 1018 cm-3. The electron
concentration in the MOSFET channel at zero drain-to-source
bias in the sub-threshold regime of operation is 109 cm-3.
Estimate the barrier height between the source and the drain. 4
MOSFET Example

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MOSFET Sub-threshold
Voltage Slope
Sub-threshold characteristics of a MOSFET:
exponential dependence ID ~ exp (VG/kT).
Vsub.slope = 60 mV.

Vap 2
I S exp
I2
nk BT
ln10
ln ln
I1 Vap1
I S exp
nk BT
Vap 2 Vap1
2.3; for n 1
nk BT
V Vap 2 Vap1 2.3 0.026
0.060[V ] 6
I-V in Sub-threshold and Above
Threshold Regimes

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MOSFET I-V Curves
Idealized drain
characteristics of a
MOSFET. For VD ~ VDsat,
the drain current remains
constant.

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Four types of MOSFETs

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MOSFET Physics

Threshold voltage 10
MOSFET Physics

Threshold voltage 11
MOSFET Physics

Current-Voltage Characteristics 12
MOSFET Physics

Current-Voltage Characteristics, Linear Regime 13


MOSFET Physics

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Current-Voltage Characteristics, Saturation
MOSFET I-Vs
Current-Voltage
Characteristics

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MOSFET PSPICE Circuits
-1 .0 0 0 V 4 .2 2 5 u A
R 1
-1 .0 0 0 V
1
I
-1 .0 0 0 V -1 .0 0 0 V

1Vdc
M 4 -4 .2 2 5 u A
V1 4 .2 2 5 u A
0A
0A
V2 -6 5 0 .0 m V M b re a k P 4 . 21 2. 05 u1 A0 p A
-0 .6 5 0 V d c
0
0
0V

0
0

Current-Voltage Characteristics - PSPICE 16

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