E3 238 Analog VLSI Circuits

Lecture 4: Threshold Voltage, Second Order Effects

Gaurab Banerjee
Department of Electrical Communication Engineering,
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
banerjee@ece.iisc.ernet.in
 p-MOS Capacitor Bias Guide

Acknowledgement: Integrated Circuit Devices (EE130) Lecture Notes, Prof. T-J. King, UC Berkeley
 Threshold Voltage
-> Onset of inversion in an NMOS device (opposite for PMOS): Interface is as
much n-type as the bulk is p-type
-> Gate voltage that achieves this condition = threshold voltage (VTH)
-> More accurate definition:

MS = poly-Si to semiconductor work function

difference --> “BUILT-IN FERMI POTENTIAL” ->
subscript “MS” used for older technologies

F = Difference between the Fermi potential of

the substrate and intrinsic silicon
 Threshold Voltage
• Positive bias on gate -> Holes repelled from bulk -> Immobile negative
charge left behind -> depletion region charge modifies VTH -> Qdep/Cox
• Charge trapped in thin oxide leads to voltage drop across the oxide
-> Qox/Cox

Native transistor threshold voltage Adjustment using

implanted charge
under the gate

xd = depletion region width

Nox = 109 ions/cm3 , almost always positive

Modern CMOS processes have native, low-VT, high-VT and thick oxide (very high VT)
devices
-> Carefully choose the device that you need in your application !!!
 Body Effect

fixed charge More fixed charge !!

• Depletion region charge is a key component of threshold voltage

• As VSB (source to substrate voltage) is increased, depletion region
“expands”, uncovering more charge.
 Body Effect

• If the bulk potential is different from the source potential -> body effect is
present.
• Changes the effective transconductance of the device -> more on this later
• Additional degree of freedom in adjusting threshold voltage -> used in
digital circuits (body/well bias) to reduce leakage
 Channel Length Modulation
Increase in depletion layer width at the drain end as drain voltage is increased.

Pinch-off => VDS = VGS – VTH = VDSAT Channel Length < L for VDS > VDSAT
 Channel Length Modulation

Infinite output impedance ->

ideal current source

•  -> relative variation in length for a given increase in VDS

• is smaller for longer channel lengths in the same technology
• Linear approximation L/L =  VDS is less accurate for shorter channel devices ->
variable slope is observed!
• VDS dependence of drain current is NOT an additional degree of freedom in setting
up bias current -> DO NOT use this to “adjust” biases -> not very accurate and reliable!
• Question: what happens if the high impedance (drain) node is stacked on another
high impedance node ? More on this later (CMFB)…