Second Order

Effects in Mosfets

Arun Krishna
 MosFET
Metal Oxide Silicon Field Effect Transistors commonly known as
MOSFETs are electronic devices used to switch or amplify
voltages in circuits. It is a voltage controlled device and is
constructed by three terminals.
What are First and Second order Effects ?

First-order effects in MOSFET are those that

• Cut-off Region
• Linear/Triode/Ohmic Region
• Saturation Region
• Threshold voltage
• Transconductance
Second order Effects
Second-order effects in MOSFETs refer to non-ideal
characteristics that arise as a result of the device's
physical structure and operating conditions. These
effects can impact the performance and behavior of
MOSFET-based circuits

1. Body/Back-Gate Effect
2. Channel Length Modulation
3. Subthreshold Leakage Current
4. Velocity Saturation
5. Drain Induced Barrier Lowering (DBIL)
6. Hot carrier effects
 Body/ Back-gate Effect
Whenever there is Voltage (potential) difference between the source and the substrate
(body), this leads to increase or decrease in the Threshold Voltage of the transistor, and the
device's performance.
 Subthreshold Leakage current
Subthreshold conduction or subthreshold leakage or subthreshold drain current is
the current between the source and drain of a MOSFET when the transistor is in
subthreshold region, or weak-inversion region, that is, for gate-to-source voltages
below the threshold voltage.

In digital circuit designs the presence of subthreshold current is not desirable

Saturated Mosfet has a pinched off channel when drain voltage is maintained high
enough. Because of its high voltage, making electric field stronger drain attracts
electrons more powerfully from p-substrate way along the channel, so although its
channel was pinched off current can still flow with respect to increase of Vds
 Velocity Saturation
Velocity saturation is a phenomenon that occurs in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors
(MOSFETs) where the electron drift velocity does not increase linearly with an increase in the applied electric
field. Instead, the drift velocity reaches a maximum value and saturates, leading to a saturation in the channel
current.

When a voltage is applied across the MOSFET, an electric field is established in the channel region. Initially, as
the electric field increases, the electron drift velocity also increases linearly, leading to a linear increase in the
channel current.

However, as the electron drift velocity increases, the electron scattering with lattice imperfections, impurities,
and phonons becomes more significant. These scattering mechanisms start to impede the acceleration of
electrons, and at higher velocities, they cause a reduction in the net electron drift velocity. Eventually, a point is
reached where the increase in the electric field no longer results in an increase in the drift velocity, and the
velocity saturates.

Velocity saturation has several implications for MOSFET performance. It limits the maximum achievable current
in the saturation region and affects the frequency response and gain characteristics of MOSFET-based circuits.
It also impacts the transconductance and output conductance of the MOSFET, affecting its overall performance
in analog and digital applications.
 Drain-Induced Barrier Lowering (DIBL)
When a high drain voltage (Vd) is applied, the depletion region around the drain region extends into the
channel region. This extension reduces the effective channel length, resulting in a shorter channel and a
lower effective threshold voltage. In other words, the drain voltage-induced electric field weakens the
potential barrier that separates the source and drain regions, making it easier for the channel to conduct
current even at lower gate voltages.

The drain-induced barrier lowering effect is more pronounced in short-channel MOSFETs, where the
channel length is reduced. Short-channel devices experience stronger electric fields near the drain region
due to the higher voltage gradients, leading to a more significant reduction in the threshold voltage.

DIBL has several implications for MOSFET performance. It can cause off-state leakage current to
increase, reducing the on-off current ratio and degrading the device's ability to turn off completely.

DIBL can limit the scalability of MOSFETs and pose challenges in achieving high-performance and low-
power device operation.
 Hot Carrier Effects
The hot carrier effect can cause the threshold voltage of a device to drift over time. Smaller devices
mean that carriers experience higher electric fields. This is because while device sizes have scaled,
power signal voltages have not scaled at the same rate. These high electric fields can cause electrons
to become hot. These electrons have very high energy, and can tunnel into the gate oxide. These
electrons, trapped in the gate oxide, can cause a rise in the Vt of a device.
Thank You
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