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The MOSFET Transistor

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The MOSFET Transistor

• The basic active component on all silicon chips is the MOSFET


– Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor
• Schematic symbol
• G Gate
• S Source
• D Drain
• The voltage on the gate controls
the flow of electrons from the
source to the drain

Copyright 1999 © Leslie Smith 31R6 - Computer Design Slide 16

Electrical properties of nMOS transistor


• nMOS = n-channel MOS transistor
• Electrical properties:

•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.

Copyright 1999 © Leslie Smith 31R6 - Computer Design Slide 17

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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.

Copyright 1999 © Leslie Smith 31R6 - Computer Design Slide 18

How to build an nMOS transistor


• nMOS transistors are built by
– starting with p-type silicon
– placing two n-type areas (which will become the source and the drain)
close together, but not touching
– growing some silicon dioxide over the p-type silicon between them
– placing the gate conductor (usually polycrystalline silicon) on top of this
silicon dioxide
• The process by which this is achieved is complex, but is rather
like printing, in that
– making areas n-type is achieved by diffusion through a mask
• impurities which will make the p-type substrate n-type are embedded into
particular parts of the silicon substrate
– some silicon dioxide is grown over the area between two n-type diffused
areas
• the gate oxide
– the gate itself is placed over this gate oxide area
• gate is generally made up of polycrystalline silicon (poly)

Copyright 1999 © Leslie Smith 31R6 - Computer Design Slide 19

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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)

Copyright 1999 © Leslie Smith 31R6 - Computer Design Slide 20

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.

Copyright 1999 © Leslie Smith 31R6 - Computer Design Slide 21

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PMOS transistors
• Schematic:

•Only difference from nMOS FET is circle on gate.


•Electrical Properties:
•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 again quite
switch-like.
Copyright 1999 © Leslie Smith 31R6 - Computer Design Slide 22

Layout of a PMOS transistor


• If the underlying substrate is n-type, and the diffusion is p-type
then a pMOS transistor is formed

P-type diffusion is shown in


brown

Generally, the silicon substrate


is p-type, and a “well” of n-type
silicon needs to be formed (by diffusion) before a pMOS
transistor can be formed.

Copyright 1999 © Leslie Smith 31R6 - Computer Design Slide 23

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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.

Copyright 1999 © Leslie Smith 31R6 - Computer Design Slide 24

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