Random telegraph signals in silicon-on-insulator metal-oxide- semiconductor transistors

Abstract

Possible physical mechanisms for random telegraph signal (RTS) -like fluctuations in the front-channel drain current of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor are discussed. Particular emphasis is on two RTS mechanisms which are believed to be typical for a SOI MOS transistor. The first one is related to carrier trapping in the Si film, by a deep-level trap in the depletion region. As such, this type of RTS is more or less complementary to the standard behavior, which is caused by carrier trapping through a near-interface oxide trap. Second, it is demonstrated experimentally that by varying the back-gate bias of a thin-film SOI MOS transistor ‘‘new’’ RTSs may be detected.