Low-frequency noise in near-fully-depleted TFSOI MOSFETs

Abstract

Low-frequency (1/f) noise in near-fully-depleted Thin-Film Silicon-On-Insulator (TFSOI) CMOS transistors designed for sub-l-V applications is investigated in the subthreshold region, linear region, and saturation region of operation for the first time. The noise in these surface-channel devices is composed of a bias invariant 1/f component and a bias dependent generation-recombination (G/R) component that becomes enhanced in the subthreshold region of operation for both n- and p-channel MOSFETs. Results presented in this letter are consistent with the noise being dominated by a number fluctuation model. These results demonstrate that the bias independent 1/f noise spectrum of the n-channel TFSOI MOSFET is comparable to the 1/f noise level found in conventional bulk silicon submicron CMOS fabrication processes.