Lecture 8

MOSFET(I)
MOSFET I-V CHARACTERISTICS

Outline
1. MOSFET: cross-section, layout,
symbols
2. Qualitative operation
3. I-V characteristics

Reading Assignment:
Howe and Sodini, Chapter 4, Sections 4.1-4.3

Announcement:
Quiz#1, March 14, 7:30-9:30PM, Walker Memorial;
covers Lectures #1-9; open book; must have calculator

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 1

 ;; ;
1. MOSFET: layout, cross-section, symbols

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active area (thin

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oxide area)

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gate contact gate polysilicon gate
interconnect

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n+ polysilicon gate
metal

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interconnect

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A
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A
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source contacts
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W
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bulk
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contact
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; drain
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contacts

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edge of
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source drain active area

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interconnect interconnect
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(a)
gate oxide
deposited bulk
source n+ polysilicon gate drain interconnect
oxide interconnect
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interconnect
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L
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n+ drain diffusion
field n+ source diffusion Ldiff p+
oxide [ p-type ]
(b)

Key elements:
• Inversion layer under gate (depending on gate voltage)
• Heavily doped regions reach underneath gate ⇒
– inversion layer to electrically connect source and drain
• 4-terminal device:
– body voltage important

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 2

 Circuit symbols

Two complementary devices:

• n-channel device (n-MOSFET) on p-substrate
– uses electron inversion layer
• p-channel device (p-MOSFET) on n-Si substrate
– uses hole inversion layer

D IDn D
IDn S
+ + S
+
VDS > 0 VSG VSB
G G _ _
B B
+ + G B G B
VGS VBS VSD > 0
_ _
S− S −IDp D− −IDp D

(a) n-channel MOSFET (b) p-channel MOSFET

Drain n+ Source p+

p Bulk or n Bulk or
Gate Gate
Body Body

Source n+ Drain p+

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 3

 2. Qualitative Operation
• Drain Current (ID): proportional to inversion charge
and the velocity that the charge travels from source
to drain
• Velocity: proportional to electric field from drain to
source
• Gate-Source Voltage (VGS): controls amount of
inversion charge that carries the current
• Drain-Source Voltage (VDS): controls the electric
field that drifts the inversion charge from the source
to drain
VDS

VGS ID

G
S D

n+ n+

inversion layer
depletion region

Want to understand the relationship between the drain

current in the MOSFET as a function of gate-to-source
voltage and drain-to-source voltage.

Initially consider source tied up to body (substrate or

back)
6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 4
 Three Regimes of Operation:
Cut-off Regime

• MOSFET:
– VGS < VT, with VDS ≥ 0
• Inversion Charge = 0
• VDS drops across drain depletion region
• ID = 0

VGS<VT VDS ‡ 0
G
S D

n+ n+
p
no inversion layer
depletion region
anywhere

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 5

 Three Regimes of Operation:
Linear or Triode Regime

VGD>VT
VGS>VT VDS ‡ 0
G
S D

n+ n+
p
depletion region inversion layer
everywhere

VGD = VGS-VDS

Electrons drift from source to drain ⇒ electrical current!

• VGS ↑ ⇒ |QN,| ↑ ⇒ ID ↑
VDS << VGS-VT
• VDS ↑ ⇒ Ey, ↑ ⇒ ID ↑

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 6

 Three Regimes of Operation:
Saturation Regime VDS > VGS - VT

• VGS > VT, VGD < VT ---> VDS > VGS - VT

VGS>VT VGD<VT
G
S D

n+ n+
p
depletion region inversion layer
"pinched-off" at drain side

ID is independent of VDS: ID=Idsat

Electric field in channel cannot increase with VDS

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 7

 3. I-V Characteristics (Assume VSB=0)
Geometry of problem:

All voltages are referred to the Source

General expression of channel current

Current can only flow in the y-direction:

Total channel current:

I y = W •QN (y)• vy (y)

Drain current is equal to minus channel current:

I D = −W •QN (y)• vy (y)

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 8

 I-V Characteristics (Contd.)

I D = −W • QN (y) • vy (y)
Re-write equation in terms of voltage at location y, V(y):

• If electric field is not too high:

dV
v y (y) = −µ n • E y (y) = µn •
dy

• For Qn(y), use charge-control relation at location y:

QN (y) = −Cox [VGS − V (y) − VT ]

for VGS – V(y) ≥ VT. .
Note that we assumed that VT is independent of y.
See discussion on body effect in Section 4.4 of text.

All together the drain current is given by:

I D = W • µ nCox [VGS − V( y) − VT ]•
dV(y)
dy
Simple linear first order differential equation with one
un-known, the channel voltage V(y).

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 9

I-V Characteristics (Contd..)

Solve by separating variables:

I D dy = W • µ nCox [VGS − V(y) − VT ]• dV

Integrate along the channel in the linear regime subject

the boundary conditions :
- Source: y=0, V(0)=0
- Drain: y=L, V(L)=VDS (linear regime)

Then:
L VDS
I D ∫ dy = W • µ nCox ∫ [VGS − V(y) − VT ]• dV
0 0
Resulting in:

⎡ ⎛ V ⎞ ⎤ VDS
I D [y ]L
0 = I D L = W • µn Cox ⎢⎣⎜⎝ VGS − 2 − VT ⎟⎠ V ⎥⎦
0

W ⎡ VDS ⎤
ID = • µ n Cox ⎢VGS − − VT ⎥ • VDS
L ⎣ 2 ⎦

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 10

 I-V Characteristics (Contd…)

W ⎡ VDS ⎤
I D = • µ nCox ⎢VGS − − VT ⎥ • VDS
L ⎣ 2 ⎦
for VDS < VGS − VT

Key dependencies:

• VDS↑ → ID↑ (higher lateral electric field)

• VGS↑ → ID↑ (higher electron concentration)

This is the linear or triode regime:

It is linear if VDS<<VGS-VT

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 11

 I-V Characteristics (Contd….)
Two important observations

1. Equation only valid if VGS – V(y) ≥ VT at every y.

Worst point is y=L, where V(y) = VDS, hence,
equation is valid if

VDS ≤ VGS − VT

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 12

 I-V Characteristics (Contd…..)
Two important observations
2. As VDS approaches VGS – VT, the rate of increase of
ID decreases.

Reason:
As y increases down the channel, V(y) ↑, |QN(y)| ↓, and
Ey(y) ↑ (fewer carriers moving faster)
⇒ inversion layer thins down from source to drain
⇒ ID grows more slowly.

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 13

 I-V Characteristics (Contd……)
Drain Current Saturation

As VDS approaches

VDSsat = VGS − VT

increase in Ey compensated by decrease in |QN|

⇒ ID saturates when |QN| equals 0 at drain end.

Value of drain saturation current:

I Dsat = I Dlin (VDS = VDSsat = VGS − VT )

Then
⎡W ⎛ VDS ⎞ ⎤
IDsat = ⎢ • µnCox⎜VGS − −VT ⎟ •VDS⎥
⎣L ⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎦V =V −V
DS GS T

1W
µn Cox [VGS − VT ]
2
I Dsat =
2 L
Will talk more about saturation regime next time.

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 14

 I-V Characteristics (Contd…….)
Output Characteristics

Transfer characteristics:

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 15

 Output Characteristics

6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 16

 Summary of Key Concepts
• MOSFET Output Characteristics

I-V Characteristics in Cutoff Regime

VGS < VT ID = 0

I-V Characteristics in Linear Regime

VDS < VGS - VT
W ⎡ VDS ⎤
I D = • µ nCox ⎢VGS − − VT ⎥ • VDS
L ⎣ 2 ⎦
I-V Characteristics in Saturation Regime
VDS ≥ VGS - VT
W 2
I Dsat = µn Cox (VGS − VT )
2L
6.012 Spring 2007 Lecture 8 17