Session 3: Solid State Devices I - MOS and FET (A)

Wednesday, Oct. 18>1967, 2: 15 p.m. to 3 : 13 p . m .

hTorthSheraton Hall
R. Kerr
Chairman: D.Organizer: J. S. Logan
3.1 PIEZORESISTIVE EFFECTIN INVERSION LAYERS ON SILICON,
J. P. Mize and D. Colman, Texas Instruments Inc., Dallas, Texas
The piezoresistive effect has been observed in the metal-oxide-sillcon field
effect transistor (MOSFET). Hall measurements show that the piezoresistive
effect in the inversion layer of the device is caused by modulation of carrier
mobility. Stress induced variations in surface hole mobility as high as &lo%
in p channelenhancementmodedeviceshave been observed. As the device
parameters are afunction of carrier mobility, anychange in mobllitypro-
duces acorresponding change in conductanceandtransconductance of the
‘device. Hole mobility in thedevice is found tovarylinearly with applied
stress, The MOSFET therefore functions as a transducer, responding linearly
to static or dynamic stress. It is also tobe noted that the device has three
terminals and functions as an “active” transducer (it has gain). Theoutput
impedance of the device is variable and can be designed to have a value from
several hundred ohms to a few megohms by adjustment of device dimensions
in the photomasking processand by adjustment of the gate voltage.The
MOSFET transducer is therefore compatible with either high- or low-input
impedance circuitry and can be fabricated in integrated circuit configuration.
Piezoresistive coefficients of the transducer have been measured forde-
vicesfabricated on the(110), 1100), and (111) silicon planes. Gauge factors
for thedeviceshavealso been determinedand will becompared to other
solid statetransducers. The present studydescribes
the theory of the
MOSFET transducer,summarizes,demonstratedapplications of the device
(microphoneand phonograph pick-up)and proposes several novel applica-
tions.
3.2 CONDUCTANCEOF MOS TRANSISTORS IN SATURATION, D. Froh-
manaBentchkowsky and A. S. Grove,Fairchild Semiconductor, Palo
Alto, Calif.
The finite output conductance of MOS transistors operating in the satura-
tion region is generallyattributed to thespreading of the depletion region
nearthedrain which results in areduction of thechannellength.Previous
treatments 1,2 haveattemptedtocalculatetheextent of thisspreading by
describingtheelectric field distribution using step p-n junction theory. It is
shown in this work that the experimentally observed output conductance can
be in grossdisagreement with such calculations.Thisdiscrepancy is due
to the fact that, owing to the presence of the gate electrc.de, the electric field
in the drain depletionregionis greatlyincreased.3
A simple physicalmodelis presented which takes into accountthis in-
crease in theelectric field. Thespreading of the depletionregion nearthe
drainandthe correspondingreduction in channel length arecalculated on
thebasis of thismodel. It is shown thatthe output conductance isa sensi-
tive function of the insulator thickness under the gate as well a s of the im-
purityconcentration in thesubstrate.
Theoutput conductance of MOS transistors is studied experimentally on
specialstructures in which the channellength is varied between 2.5 and
10 p , the oxide thickness between 0.1 and 0 . 6 ,~ and the substrate impurity
concentration between 5x 10’4 and 2 x10’6 cm-3.It is shown that the
present model is in good agreement with measurements of the output con-
ductance throughout the entire range of device parameters.
When the substrate impurity concentration is low, and the channel length
very short, the drain depletionregion canactuallyreachthesource region.
The characteristics of such“punch-through” devicesarediscussed.
’H. K. J. Ihantola, “DesignTheory of a Surface Field-Effect Transistor,”
Stanford Electronics LaboratoriesTechnicalReport No. 1661-1 (1961).
2V. G. I(. Reddi anad C. T. Sah, “Source to DrainResistance Beyond Pinch-
Off in MOS Transistors,”IEEETrans. on Electron Devices, ED-12, 139
(March 19651 ,
3A similarincrease in theelectric field in gate-controlled p-n junctions has
been shown to lead to drastic reduction of the breakdown voltage; see A. S.

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Grove, 0. Leistiko, Jr. and W. W. Hooper, “Effect of SurfaceFields on the
Breakdown Voltage of Planar Silicon P-N Junctions,” IEEE Trans. on Elec-
tron Devices, ED-14, 157 (March 1967).
3.3 NUMERICAL CALCULATIONOF THEFIELD DISTRIBUTION AND
RELATED DEVICE PARAMETERS FOR MOS TRANSISTORS IN SAT.
URATION, J. E. Schroederand R.S. Muller,University of California,
Berkeley, Calif.
Numericaltechniqueshave beenused to obtain the field distribution in
MOS transistorsundersaturatedbias conditions.The numerical solution of
Poisson’s equation isobtained with fewersimplifying assumptions than are
necessary to obtain ananalytic solution.Using thenumerical solution one
can calculate the change in channel length as bias values are varied. From
this, the changes in drain current, drain conductance, and transconductance
in saturation can be predicted. The solutions also permit a rough calculation
of breakdownvoltages.
A comparison of thetheoreticalresults with measuredvalues of gm,
gD, and ID is made for MOS transistors of varying dimensions an,d doping
concentrations.The influence of geometryandsubstrate doping on device
parameters in saturationis discussedin terms of the above results.Cases
for which simplifying assumptionscan be made in thetheoreticalanalysis
are discussed. The theoretical analysis is also compared with recent experi-
mentalobservations of breakdown characteristicsand with scanning elec-
tronmicroscopestudies of theextent of thespace-charge region in MCS
transistors.
Note:Supported in partby U. S. ArmyResearch Office, Durham,under
Grant DA-31-1241ARO-D-385and in part by the Computer Center, University
of California, Berkeley.
3.4 PHOTON DETECTION IN TUNNEL-BARRIER STRUCTURES, Julius
Cohen, General Telephone and Electronics Laboratories, Bayside, N. Y.
The use of tunnelingina structure consisting of a semiconductor, thin
,dielectric layer and metal offers promise as a practical photon detector free
of many of thelimitationsordinarily imposed by semiconductor materials.
The basis for detection is the large increase in tunnelingprobability which
canresult when the kinetic energy of electrons is increased by photon ab-
sorptionin thesemiconductor.Thebarrierserves two functions: (1) it al-
lows thosephotoelectrons a t thebarrier to tunnelthrough uninfluenced by
trapping and recombination centers in thesemi-conductor; and ( 2 ) because
of its high impedance, the semiconductor resistance can be made as low as
desired. Using thin-film tunnelbarrierstructures consisting of Te-Al,03-Al,
we have shown that a substantialincreaseis obtained in thespeed of re-
sponse as compared with that obtained with Te alone. In arddition, although
ordinary photoconductivity could not bedetected in one sample in theTe
layer alone, photocurrentsweredetected when the sandwich wasoperated
in the tunneling mode. The spectral response is largelydetermined by that
of thesemiconductor,andthepresent deviceresponds in theinfrared. The
similarity in thespectralresponsecurves of thetunnel-barrier device and
Te indicatesthatthegeneration of photoelectronsis a bulk property of
the semiconductor and is not due to surface effects or excitation of electrons
fromtraps in theinsulator.Further,itsuggeststhat the excitedelectrons
are thermalized in the conduction band. Thedetectivityis similar to that of
the Te alone.
3.5 TUNISTORS - MECHANICAL RESONATORS FOR MICROCIRCUITS,
W. E. Newell, R. A. Wickstrom, and D. J. Page, Westinghouse Research
Laboratories, Pittsburgh, Pa.
A new miniature tuning deviceoperating on a flexuralresonance of a
thin metal substrate has been demonstrated. Thedevice, known as aTunis-
tor,uses depositedpiezoelectric films as input and output transducers,and
can be batch fabricated by stan’dard integrated circuit techniques. Tunistors
have been built betwen 200 and 2500Hz with Q’s between 200 and 1500 and
voltageinsertionlosses as low as 20 dB. The possibility exists of designing
Tunistors with near-zerotemperature coefficients of frequencyand with
relatively great immunity to externalvibration.
The Tunistor permits a new degree of miniaturization of stable audio fre-
quency oscillators and high-Q filters by means of hybrid microcircuits.
The paper will compare the Tunistor with previous miniature resonators
and discuss thevariousparameters which determinetheimportantcharac-
teristics.

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