MOSFET physics and modeling

Abstract

Since the early 1980s, the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) has become the most widely used semiconductor device in very large scale integrated circuits. This is due mainly to the fact that the MOSFET has a simpler structure, costs less to fabricate, and consumes less power than its bipolar transistor counterpart. In this chapter, we will first present an overview of the MOSFET evolution, the so-called Moore’s law, and the progress of microprocessors based on MOSFETs. Then the fundamentals of semiconductor and MOS system will be introduced. This will be followed by the physics and modeling of MOSFETs, including devices with a conventional structure (i.e., conventional MOSFET), silicon-on-insulator structure [i.e.,SOIMOSFET], and lightly-doped drain structure [i.e.,LDD MOSFET]. Results obtained from device simulation will be included to aid the understanding of the MOSFET behavior and physical insight. The increasingly important short-channel, narrow-channel, hot-carrier, and quantum-mechanical effects on the MOSFET performance will also be addressed.