Topics

Derivation of transistor characteristics.

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

MOSFET gate as capacitor

s

Basic structure of gate is parallel-plate capacitor:

gate
+

Vg

SiO2 substrate

xox

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Parallel plate capacitance

s

Formula for parallel plate capacitance: Cox = ox / xox Permittivity of silicon: ox = 3.46 x 10-13 F/cm2 Gate capacitance helps determine charge in channel which forms inversion region.

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Threshold voltage
Components of threshold voltage Vt: Vfb = flatband voltage; depends on difference in work function between gate and substrate and on fixed surface charge. s s = surface potential (about 2 f).
s

Voltage on paralell plate capacitor. s Additional ion implantation.

s
Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2 Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Body effect
s

Reorganize threshold voltage equation: Vt = Vt0 + Vt Threshold voltage is a function of source/substrate voltage Vsb. Body effect is the coefficienct for the Vsb dependence factor.

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Example: threshold voltage of a transistor

Vt0 = Vfb + s + Qb/Cox + VII = -0.83 V + 0.58 V + (1.4E-8/8.6E-7) + 0.93 V = 0.7 V Body effect n = sqrt(2qSiNA/Cox) = 0.1 Vt = n[sqrt( s + Vsb) - sqrt(Vs)] = 0.05 V
Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2 Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

More device parameters

s s

Process transconductance k = Cox. Device transconductance = kW/L.

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Channel length modulation length parameter

s

describes small dependence of drain corrent on Vds in saturation.

Factor is measured empirically. s New drain current equation:

s

Id = 0.5k (W/L)(Vgs - Vt) 2(l - Vds)

s

Equation has a discontinuity between linear and saturation regions---small enough to be ignored.
Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

Gate voltage and the channel

gate source

current
Id gate

drain

Vds < Vgs - Vt

source

current Id gate

drain

Vds = Vgs - Vt

source Id
Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

drain

Vds > Vgs - Vt

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Leakage and subthreshold current

A variety of leakage currents draw current away from the main logic path. s The subthreshold current is one particularly important type of leakage current.
s

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Types of leakage current.

Weak inversion current (a.k.a. subthreshold current). s Reverse-biased pn junctions. s Drain-induced barrier lowering. s Gate-induced drain leakage; s Punchthrough currents. s Gate oxide tunneling. s Hot carriers.
s

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Subthreshold current
s

Subthreshold current:
Isub = ke[(Vgs - Vt)/(S/ln 10)][1-e-qVds/kT]

Subthreshold slope S characterizes weak inversion current. s Subthreshold current is a function of Vt.
s

Can adjust Vt by changing the substrate bias to control leakage.

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2 Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Thermal effects
s

Vicious cycle:
Leakage current causes heating. Heating increases leakage current.

Thermal runaway: chip overheats due to leakage. s Subthreshold leakage current is most important temperature-dependent current.
s

8x-12x per 100C.

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2 Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Circuit simulation
Circuit simulators like Spice numerically solve device models and Kirchoffs laws to determine time-domain circuit behavior. s Numerical solution allows more sophisticated models, non-functional (tabledriven) models, etc.
s

Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR

Some (by no means all) Spice model parameters

L, W: transistor length width. s KP: transconductance. s GAMMA: body bias factor. s AS, AD: source/drain areas. s CJSW: zero-bias sidewall capacitance. s CGBO: zero-bias gate/bulk overlap capacitance.
s
Modern VLSI Design 4e: Chapter 2 Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall PTR