The MOSFET Transistor
The MOSFET Transistor
The MOSFET Transistor
•When the voltage on the gate is 0 (Vgs = 0), the transistor is off
•When the voltage on the gate > threshold, the transistor is on
•the behaviour is quite switch-like.
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What is an nMOS transistor? (and how does it
work?)
• (see handout for diagram)
• Bulk of transistor is p-type
• Source and Drain are n-type
• pn junction is a diode
– that is, current flows in one direction only
– electrons flow from n to p
– or current flows from p to n
– but not the opposite way - so if the gate is not connected, no current
flows.
• A positive gate potential (Vgs > 0) electrostatically induces a
negative charge at the surface of the area below the gate
• this turns the area below the gate into n-type
• the diodes disappear, and the transistor conducts.
• For details see any book on VLSI design.
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Layouts (1)
• Each part of the process...
– placing diffusion, placing gate oxide, placing gates, and others too…
• … is carried out using a mask
– the mask defines where (e.g.) which regions of the chip will have N-type
ions diffused on to it
• The process of designing these masks is known as generating a
layout.
• Here is the layout for an N-channel MOS transistor (an NMOS
transistor)
Layouts (2)
• N-type diffusion is shown in green
• Poly is shown in red
• In manufacture, the polysilicon deposition
precedes diffusion, so that there is no
diffusion under the poly gate.
• The transistor is symmetrical
– which is the source and which the drain
depends on how the transistor is wired up
• The electrical characteristics are strongly influenced by the gate
dimensions
– W width
– L length
• …and the gate oxide thickness is also crucial to performance.
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PMOS transistors
• Schematic:
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Depletion mode transistors
• Depletion mode transistors have a threshold voltage set so that
when the gate is connected to the source
– (I.e. Vgs = 0)
• the transistor is on
• They are used as resistors
• Schematic symbol:
• Layout:
• Effect of implant is
to change the
characteristics
of the substrate.
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