MOS Transistor (MOSFET)

GATE SOURCE GATE OXIDE DRAIN

n+ pSUBSTRATE CHANNEL

n+

MOS Transistor Operation

Channel is normally non-conducting (opencircuit):
No bias voltage (or small voltage) applied to Gate Source and Drain junctions are reverse-biased relative to the substrate Depletion regions surround the Source and Drain Channel is depleted of mobile charge carriers

Channel starts to conduct when:

Gate voltage VGS exceeds the Threshold Voltage VT Mobile charge is present in the channel

IDS = 0
mA

G S
n+ p Substrate
Source Depletion Region Drain Depletion Region

D
VDS n+ _ +

VGS < VT _ +

IDS = 0
mA

G S
n+
Channel in Depletion

D
VDS n+ p Substrate _ +

MOSFET Operation
0 < VGS < VT
Channel in Depletion Majority carriers in p-type substrate (holes) are repelled by positive charge on the Gate No current flows in the channel

VGS VT
Channel in Inversion Electrons (minority carriers in substrate) are drawn into channel by positive charge on the Gate Current flows in the channel

VGS < VT _ +

IDS = 0
mA

G S
n+
Channel in Depletion

D
VDS n+ p Substrate _ +

VGS VT _ +

IDS 0
mA

G S
n+
Channel in Inversion

D
VDS n+ p Substrate _ +

Mobile charge concentration in the channel is proportional to that part of the gate-source voltage which exceeds the threshold voltage VT, that is by (VGS - VT). In this way the gate-source voltage controls the drain-source current. MOS TRANSISTOR MODEL Capacitance of gate-oxide-substrate capacitor is CG Mobile charge (electrons) in the channel is given by: Q = CG (VGS VT )

Formation of the Inversion Layer

Charge Density Charge Density

GATE +ve Charge

OXIDE

SILICON

GATE +ve Charge

OXIDE

SILICON

-ve Charge NA

Inversion Layer (Electrons)

-ve Charge NA

 is mean transit time for electrons to cross the channel All mobile charge in the channel is swept through the drain once per transit time; hence drain current is: IDS = Q CG (VGS VT ) =

average drift velocity of the electrons in the channel under the influence of an electric field E is: v = E is the mobility or velocity per unit field strength

Let the length of the channel (distance from source to drain) be L; then if the velocity v is constant throughout the channel we can write: L v= Assume E is uniform along the entire length of the channel, and that it is created by a voltage VDS between drain and source, then: VDS E= L [Note: It will be explained later that this condition is only fulfilled if VDS << (VGS VT)]

The transit time is L2 = VDS Substitute into previous equation for IDS: IDS = CG (VGS VT )VDS 2 L

Gate capacitance CG = Cox.WL, where Cox is the gate oxide capacitance per unit area and WL is the area of the channel. Therefore: IDS W = Cox (VGS VT )VDS L

MOS Transistor

n+ L

n+

For VDS << (VGS - VT): W = Cox (VGS VT )VDS L

IDS

Rearrange to obtain channel resistance, Rch: R ch Note that: L R ch W and 1 R ch VGS VT L = Cox W (VGS VT )

Triode Region

0 < VDS < (VGS - VT)

2 VDS W IDS = Cox (VGS VT )VDS L 2

The voltage in the channel varies between Source and Drain now that VDS is getting bigger; as a result the charge concentration in the channel also varies with distance from the Source This equation reduces to the earlier one if VDS is small.

Saturation Region

VDS (VGS - VT)

IDS

1 W 2 = Cox (VGS VT ) 2 L

When VDS reaches (VGS - VT) the end of the channel closest to the drain pinches off and the drain current saturates. The amount of charge induced in the channel cannot be increased beyond this level.

MOS Channel Pinch-Off

G S
n+
Inversion Layer Electron Density Depletion Region

D
n+

MOSFET Transfer Characteristic

100 80

IDS (A)

60 40 20 0 0 1 2 3 4 5

VT

V GS (V)

MOSFET Drain Characteristics

800 600 IDS (A) 400 200 0 2 4 6 VDS (V) 8 10
Triode Region (VGS VT) = 4V Saturation Region

3V 2V 1V

12

MOSFET Transfer Characteristic

T 10.86

VDS = 10V
Drain Current (A)

5.43

0.00 0.00 2.50 5.00 Gate-Source Voltage (V) 7.50 10.00

MOSFET Drain Characteristics

T 12.00

VGS = 10V

Current (A)

VGS = 8V
6.00

VGS = 6V

VGS = 4V
0.00 0.00 2.50 5.00 Input voltage (V) 7.50 10.00

MOSFET Circuit Symbols

D D

Substrate

Substrate

S n-channel Enhancement Mode MOSFET

S p-channel Enhancement Mode MOSFET

MOSFET Transconductance
The transconductance parameter gm is defined as:
gm = IDS VGS

Enhancement MOSFET in saturation:

IDS W 1 2 2 = Cox (VGS VT ) = (VGS VT ) L 2 2

Where

W = Cox L

MOSFET Transconductance
gm = IDS = (VGS VT ) VGS

(VGS VT ) =

2IDS

gm = 2IDS