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5
MOS Capacitor

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
This chapter builds a deep understanding of the modern MOS
(metaloxidesemiconductor) structures. The key topics are the concepts of surface
depletion, threshold, and inversion; MOS capacitor CV; gate depletion; inversion-layer
thickness; and two imaging devicescharge-coupled device and CMOS
(complementary MOS) imager. This chapter builds the foundation for understanding the
MOSFETs (MOS Field-Effect Transistors).

he acronym MOS stands for metaloxidesemiconductor. An MOS capacitor

(Fig. 51) is made of a semiconductor body or substrate, an insulator film, such
as SiO2, and a metal electrode called a gate. The oxide film can be as thin as
1.5 nm. One nanometer is equal to 10 , or the size of a few oxide molecules.
Before 1970, the gate was typically made of metals such as Al (hence the M in
MOS). After 1970, heavily doped polycrystalline silicon (see the sidebar, Three Kinds
of Solid, in Section 3.7) has been the standard gate material because of its ability to
Vg
Gate
Metal

SiO2

Si body

FIGURE 51 The MOS capacitor.

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Chapter 5

MOS Capacitor

Vg

Gate
SiO2
+

N+

P-body

FIGURE 52 An MOS transistor is an MOS capacitor with PN junctions at two ends.

withstand high temperature without reacting with SiO2. But the MOS name stuck.
Unless specified otherwise, you may assume that the gate is made of heavily doped,
highly conductive, polycrystalline silicon, or poly-Si for short. After 2008, the trend is to
reintroduce metal gate and replace SiO2 with more advanced dielectrics for the most
advanced transistors (see Section 7.4).
The MOS capacitor is not a widely used device in itself. However, it is part of
the MOS transistorthe topic of the next two chapters. The MOS transistor is by far
the most widely used semiconductor device. An MOS transistor (Fig. 52) is an MOS
capacitor with two PN junctions flanking the capacitor. This transistor structure is
often a better structure for studying the MOS capacitor properties than the MOS
capacitor itself as explained in Section 5.5.

5.1 FLAT-BAND CONDITION AND FLAT-BAND VOLTAGE

It is common to draw the energy band diagram with the oxide in the middle and the
gate and the body on the left- and right-hand sides as shown in Fig. 53. The band
diagram for Vg = 0 (Fig. 53b) is quite complex.

3.1 eV

3.1 eV

Ec
EF
Ev

EF, Ec
9 eV

SiO2

P-Silicon body

Ec

N+polysilicon

158

Ev
Gate

Body
Ev

(a)

(b)

FIGURE 53 (a) Polysilicon-gate/oxide/semiconductor capacitor and (b) its energy band

diagram with no applied voltage.

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5.1

Flat-band Condition and Flat-band Voltage

It is a good strategy to first study the energy band diagram for a special bias
condition called the flat-band condition. Flat band is the condition where the energy
band (Ec and Ev) of the substrate is flat at the SiSiO2 interface as shown in Fig. 54.
This condition is achieved by applying a negative voltage to the gate in Fig. 53b,
thus raising the band diagram on the left-hand side. (See Section 2.4 for the relation
between voltage and the band diagram.) When the band is flat in the body as in
Fig. 54, the surface electric field in the substrate is zero. Therefore the electric field
in the oxide is also zero1, i.e., Ec and Ev of SiO2 are flat, too. Ec and Ev of SiO2 are
separated by 9 eV, the Eg of SiO2. E0, the vacuum level, is the energy state of
electrons outside the material. E0 of SiO2 is above Ec by 0.95 eV. The difference
between E0 and Ec is called the electron affinity, another material parameter just as
Eg is a material parameter. Si has an electron affinity equal to 4.05 eV. E0 must be
continuous at the SiSiO2 interface as shown in Fig. 54 (otherwise the electric field
would be infinite). Therefore, Ec of SiO2 is 3.1 eV higher than Ec of Si. This 3.1 eV is
the SiSiO2 electron energy barrier. The hole energy barrier is 4.8 eV in Fig. 54.
Because of these large energy barriers, electrons and holes normally cannot pass
through the SiO2 gate dielectric. Ec in the poly-silicon gate is also lower than the Ec
of SiO2 by 3.1 eV (the SiSiO2 energy barrier). Finally, EF of the N+poly-Si may be
assumed to coincide with Ec for simplicity. In SiO2, the exact position of EF has no
significance. If we place EF anywhere around the middle of the SiO2 band gap,
E0

xSiO2
0.95 eV
Ec
qcg
3.1 eV

Ec, EF
Ev

3.1 eV

qcs
xSi  (Ec  EF)

xSi

4.05eV

Ec

Vfb


N -poly-Si

9 eV

P-body

EF
Ev

4.8 eV

Ev
SiO2

FIGURE 54 Energy band diagram of the MOS system at the flat-band condition. A voltage
equal to Vfb is applied between the N+-poly-Si gate and the P-silicon body to achieve this
condition. g is the gate-material work function, and s is the semiconductor work function.
E0 is the vacuum level.

1 According to Gausss Law, with no interface charge, = where and are the body
s s
ox ox
s
ox
surface field and the oxide field.

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Chapter 5

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n = Ncexp[(Ec EF)/kT] would be a meaninglessly small number such as 1060 cm3.

Therefore, the position of EF in SiO2 is immaterial.
The applied voltage at the flat-band condition, called Vfb, the flat-band
voltage, is the difference between the Fermi levels at the two terminals.
V fb = g s

(5.1.1)

g and s are the gate work function and the semiconductor work function,
respectively, in volts. The work function is the difference between E0 and EF . For
an N+-poly-Si gate, g = 4.05 V.2 For the P-Si body, s = 4.05 V + (Ec EF)/q. For
the example at hand, Eq. (5.1.1) and Fig. 54 indicate a negative Vfb, about 0.7 V.

5.2 SURFACE ACCUMULATION

How would Fig. 54 change if a more negative Vg than Vfb is applied? The band
diagram on the gate side would be pushed upward (see Section 2.4). The result is
shown in Fig. 55. Note that Fig. 55 is not drawn to scale (e.g., 3.1 eV is not about
three times the silicon band gap) for the economy of page space. Such not-to-scale
drawings are the norm. When Vg Vfb, s (surface voltage) and Vox (oxide voltage)
will be non-zero in general. qs is the band bending in the substrate. Because the
substrate is the voltage reference, s is negative if Ec bends upward toward the
surface as shown in Fig. 55 and positive if Ec bends downward. If this discussion of
the sign of s sounds strange, please review Sec. 2.4. Vox is the voltage across the
oxide. Again, Vox is negative if the SiO2 energy band tilts up toward the gate as it
does in Fig. 55, and positive if it tilts downward toward the gate.

3.1eV
Vg  Vfb

Vox
Ec, EF



Gate

SiO2



E0

Ev
qVg

qfs

Accumulation
charge, Qacc

EF
Ev

P-Si body

M
(a)

Ec

(b)

FIGURE 55 This MOS capacitor is biased into surface accumulation (ps > p0 = Na).
(a) Types of charge present. represents holes and represents negative charge. (b) Energy
band diagram.

2 In this case, happens to be equal to . In general, is defined as the difference between E and E .
g
Si
g
0
F

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5.3

Surface Depletion

Because Ev is closer to EF at the surface than in the bulk, the surface hole
concentration, ps, is larger than the bulk hole concentration, p0 = Na. Specifically,
ps = Nae

q s kT

(5.2.1)

Since s may be 100 or 200 mV, ps >> Na. That is to say, there are a large
number of holes at or near the surface. They form an accumulation layer and these
holes are called the accumulation-layer holes, and their charge the accumulation
charge, Qacc. This condition is known as surface accumulation. If the substrate were
N type, the accumulation layer would hold electrons.
A relationship that we will use again and again is
V g = V fb + s + V ox

(5.2.2)

At flat band, Vg = Vfb, s = Vox = 0 and Eq. (5.2.2) is satisfied. If Vg Vfb, the
difference must be picked up by s and Vox. In the case of surface accumulation, s
may be ignored in a first-order model since it is quite small and Eq. (5.2.2) becomes
V ox = V g V fb
Using Gausss Law,

(5.2.3)

Q acc
ox = ---------- ox
Q acc
V ox = ox T ox = ----------C ox

(5.2.4)

where Cox is the oxide capacitance per unit area (F/cm2) and Qacc is the
accumulation charge (C/cm2). Equation (5.2.4) is the usual capacitor relationship,
V = Q/C (or Q = CV) except for the negative sign. In V = Q/C, the capacitor
voltage and charge are both taken from the same electrode. In the MOS capacitor
theory, the voltage is the gate voltage, but the charge is the substrate charge
because interesting things happen in the substrate. This unusual choice leads to the
negative sign in Eq. (5.2.4). Equations (5.2.4) and (5.2.3) tell us
Q acc = C ox ( V g V fb )

(5.2.5)

Therefore, the MOS capacitor in accumulation behaves like a capacitor with Q

= CV (or CV as explained earlier) but with a shift in V by Vfb. The shift is easily
understandable because Qacc = 0 when Vg = Vfb. In general, Eq. (5.2.4) should read
V ox = Q sub C ox

(5.2.6)

where Qsub is all the charge that may be present in the substrate, including Qacc.

5.3 SURFACE DEPLETION

How would Fig. 54 change if a more positive Vg than Vfb is applied? The band
diagram on the gate side will be pulled downward as shown in Fig. 56b. Clearly,
there is now a depletion region at the surface because EF is far from both Ec and Ev

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Chapter 5

MOS Capacitor

qVox

Vg  Vfb

qfs

EF
Ev

Gate


SiO2

Depletion layer
charge, Qdep
P-Si body

Ec

qVg
Wdep

Ec, EF

Depletion
region
Ev

(a)

(b)

FIGURE 56 This MOS capacitor is biased into surface depletion. (a) Types of charge
present; (b) energy band diagram.

and electron and hole densities are both small. This condition is called surface
depletion. The depletion region has a width, Wdep. Equation (5.2.6) becomes
Q dep
qN a W dep
Q sub
qN a 2 s s
- = ------------ = ------------------------ = ---------------------------V ox = ----------C ox
C ox
C ox
C ox

(5.3.1)

qN a W dep
s = -----------------------2 s

(5.3.2)

Qdep is negative because the acceptor ions (after accepting the extra electrons) are
negatively charged. In Eqs. (5.3.1) and (5.3.2), we used W dep = ( 2 s s ) ( qN a )
[Eq. (4.2.10)]. Combining Eqs. (5.3.1), (5.3.2), and (5.2.2),
2

qN a W dep qN a W dep
- + ------------------------V g = V fb + s + V ox = V fb + -----------------------2 s
C ox

(5.3.3)

This equation can be solved to yield Wdep as a function of Vg. With Wdep
determined, Vox [Eq. (5.3.1)] and s [Eq. (5.3.2)] become known.

5.4 THRESHOLD CONDITION AND THRESHOLD VOLTAGE

Lets make Vg in Fig. 56 increasingly more positive. This bends the energy band
down further. At some Vg, EF will be close enough to Ec at the SiSiO2 interface
that the surface is no longer in depletion but at the threshold of inversion. The
term inversion means that the surface is inverted from P type to N type, or
electron rich. Threshold is often defined as the condition when the surface
electron concentration, ns, is equal to the bulk doping concentration, Na. That
means (Ec EF)surface = (EF Ev)bulk, or A = B in Fig. 57.3 That, in turn, means
3 Assuming N = N , we conclude that A = B when n = N .
c
v
s
a

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5.4

Threshold Condition and Threshold Voltage

Ec
fs
2fB
Ei

C
qfB

EF
Ev

qVg
qVt
Ec, EF

Ev

FIGURE 57 The threshold condition is reached when ns = Na, or equivalently, A = B, or

s = st = 2B. Note that positive st corresponds to downward band bending.

C = D. Ei is a curve drawn at midgap, which is half way between Ec and Ev. Let
the surface potential (band bending) at the threshold condition be st. It is equal
to (C + D)/q = 2C/q = 2B.
Using Eqs. (1.8.12) and (1.8.8) and assuming Nc = Nv,
E
q B -----g- ( E F E v )
bulk
2
N
N
N
= kT ln ------v- kT ln ------v- = kT ln ------ani
Na
ni

(5.4.1)

s at the threshold condition is

kT N
st = 2 B = 2 ------- ln ------aq
ni

(5.4.2)

The Vg at the threshold condition is called the threshold voltage, Vt.

Substituting Eqs. (5.4.2) and (5.3.1) into Eq. (5.2.2),
qN a 2 s 2 B
V t = V fb + 2 B + -------------------------------C ox

(5.4.3)

The threshold voltage as a function of Tox and body doping using Eq. (5.4.3) is
plotted in Fig. 58. In this figure, the gate dielectric is assumed to be SiO2 with
dielectric constant ox = 3.9.

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Chapter 5

MOS Capacitor

1.5

1.5

Tox
20 nm
10 nm

1
4 nm

0.5

0.5

2 nm
0

0
2 nm

0.5

4 nm

1
20 nm
1.5
1.E  15

1.E  16

10 nm

1.E  17

0.5
1

Vt(V), P-gate/N-body

1
Vt(V), N-gate/P-body

164

1.5
1.E  18

Body doping density (cm3)

FIGURE 58 Theoretical threshold voltage vs. body doping concentration using Eq. (5.4.3).
See Section 5.5.1 for a discussion of the gate doping type.

N-Type Body

For an N-type body, Eq. (5.4.3) becomes

2qN d s st
V t = V fb + st --------------------------------C ox

(5.4.4)

st = 2 B

(5.4.5)

kT N
B = ------- ln ------dq
ni

(5.4.6)

Exercise: Draw the band diagram of an N-body MOS capacitor at threshold and
show that the second term (st) and the third term (Vox) in Eq. (5.4.4) are negative.

5.5 STRONG INVERSION BEYOND THRESHOLD

Figure 59b shows the energy diagram at strong inversion, Vg > Vt. As shown in
Fig. 59a, there is now an inversion layer, which is filled with inversion electrons.
The inversion charge density is represented with Qinv (C/cm2). s does not increase
much further beyond 2B since even a 0.1 V further increase in s would induce a
much larger surface electron density and therefore a larger Vox that would soak up
the Vg in Eq. (5.2.2). If s does not increase, neither will the depletion region width.
Approximately speaking, Wdep has reached its maximum value
W dmax =

2 s2 B
-----------------qN a

(5.5.1)

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5.5

Strong Inversion Beyond Threshold

Vg  Vt

Ec
EF
Ev

Gate

SiO2

qVg

     



Qdep

Qinv

P-Si substrate

Ec,EF
Ev

M
(a)

(b)

FIGURE 59 An MOS capacitor biased into inversion. (a) Types of charge present; (b) energy
band diagram with arrow indicating the sense of positive Vg.

Q dep Q inv
qN a 2 s 2 B Q inv
- ----------- = V fb + 2 B + -------------------------------- ----------V g = V fb + 2 B -----------C ox C ox
C ox
C ox
Q inv
= V t ----------C ox

(5.5.2)

Equations (5.2.2) and (5.2.6) are used in deriving Eq. (5.5.2).

Q inv = C ox ( V g V t )

(5.5.3)

Equation (5.5.3) confirms that the MOS capacitor in strong inversion behaves
like a capacitor except for a voltage offset of Vt. At Vg = Vt, Qinv = 0.
In this section, we have assumed that electrons will appear in the inversion
layer whenever the closeness between Ec and EF suggests their presence. However,
there are few electrons in the P-type body, and it can take minutes for thermal
generation to generate the necessary electrons to form the inversion layer. The MOS
transistor structure shown in Fig. 52 solves this problem. The inversion electrons
are supplied by the N+ junctions, as shown in Fig. 510a. The inversion layer may be
visualized as a very thin N layer (hence the term inversion of the surface conductivity
type) as shown in Fig. 510b. The MOS transistor as shown in Figs. 52 and 510 is a
more versatile structure for studying the MOS system than the MOS capacitor.
5.5.1

Choice of Vt and Gate Doping Type

The p-body transistor shown in Fig. 510 operates in an integrated circuit (IC) with
Vg swinging between zero and a positive power supply voltage. To make circuit design
easier, it is routine to set Vt at a small positive value, e.g., 0.4 V, so that, at Vg = 0, the
transistor does not have an inversion layer and current does not flow between the two
N+ regions. A transistor that does not conduct current at Vg = 0 is called an
enhancement-type device. This Vt value can be obtained with an N+ gate and convenient
body doping density as shown in Fig. 58. If the p-body device is paired with a P+ gate,

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Chapter 5

MOS Capacitor

Vg  Vt

Vg  Vt

Gate

Gate

SiO2
N 

     

SiO2
N-Si

P-body

P-body

(a)

(b)

N

FIGURE 510 (a) The surface inversion behavior is best studied with a PN junction butting
the MOS capacitor to supply the inversion charge. (b) The inversion layer may be thought of
as a thin N-type layer.

Vt would be too large (over 1 V) and necessitate a larger power supply voltage. This
would lead to larger power consumption and heat generation (see Section 6.7.3).
Similarly, an N-type body is routinely paired with a P+ gate. In summary,
P body is almost always paired with N+ gate to achieve a small positive threshold
voltage, and N body is normally paired with P+ gate to achieve a small negative
threshold voltage. The other body-gate combinations are almost never encountered.

Review: Basic MOS Capacitor Theory

Let us review the concepts, nomenclatures, common approximations, and simple

relationships associated with the MOS capacitor theory. We will do so using a series
of figures, starting with Fig. 511. The surface potential, s, is zero at Vfb and
approximately zero in the accumulation region. As Vg increases from Vfb into the
depletion regime, s increases from zero toward 2B. When s reaches 2, the
surface electron concentration becomes so large that the surface is considered
inverted. The Vg at that point is called Vt, the threshold voltage.
fs

2fB

Vfb
Accumulation

Vg

Vt
Depletion

Inversion

FIGURE 511 Surface potential saturates at 2B when Vg is larger than Vt.

Figure 512 uses Wdep to review the MOS capacitor. There is no depletion region when
the MOS interface is in accumulation. Wdep in the PN junction and in the MOS capacitor is
proportional to the square root of the band bending (s in the MOS case). Wdep saturates
at Wdmax when Vg Vt, because s saturates at 2B.

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5.5

Strong Inversion Beyond Threshold

Wdep

Wdmax
Wdmax
(2es2fB/qNa)1/2
 (fs)

1/2

Vfb
Accumulation

Vg

Vt
Depletion

Inversion

FIGURE 512 Depletion-region width in the body of an MOS capacitor.

Figure 513 reviews the three charge components in the substrate. The depletion
charge Qdep is constant in the inversion region because Wdep is a constant there.
Qinv = Cox(Vg Vt) appears in the inversion region. Qacc shows up in the accumulation
Qdep
qNaWdep
Accumulation

Vfb

Depletion
0

Inversion
Vg

Vt

qNaWdep
qNaWdmax
(a)
Qinv
Accumulation

Vfb

Depletion
Vt

Inversion
Vg
Slope
Cox

(b)
Qacc
Slope
Cox

Vfb
Accumulation

Vt
Depletion

Vg
Inversion

(c)

FIGURE 513 Components of charge (C/cm2) in the MOS capacitor substrate: (a) depletionlayer charge; (b) inversion-layer charge; and (c) accumulation-layer charge.

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region. In both (b) and (c), the slope is Cox. Figure 514 shows the total substrate charge,
Qsub. Qsub in the accumulation region is made of accumulation charge. Qsub is made of
Qdep in the depletion region. In the inversion region, there are two components, Qdep that
is a constant and Qinv that is equal to Cox(Vg Vt ).
Qsub
Accumulation
region

Depletion
region

Inversion
region

Vfb
0

Vg

Vt

Qinv
Slope
Cox

FIGURE 514 The total substrate charge, Qsub (C/cm2), is the sum of Qacc, Qdep, and Qinv.

5.6 MOS CV CHARACTERISTICS

The capacitancevoltage (CV) measurement is a powerful and commonly used
method of determining the gate oxide thickness, substrate doping concentration,
threshold voltage, and flat-band voltage. The CV curve is usually measured with a
CV meter (Fig. 515), which applies a DC bias voltage, Vg, and a small sinusoidal
signal (1 kHz10 MHz) to the MOS capacitor and measures the capacitive current
with an AC ammeter. The capacitance is calculated from icap/vac = C.
The capacitance in the MOS theory is always the small-signal capacitance
dQ
dQ sub
C ----------g- = --------------dV g
dV g

(5.6.1)

The negative sign in Eq. (5.6.1) arises from the fact that Vg is taken at the top
capacitor plate but Qsub is taken at the bottom capacitor plate (the body). Qsub is
given in Fig. 514 and its derivative is shown in Fig. 516.
In the accumulation region, the MOS capacitor is just a simple capacitor with
capacitance Cox as shown in Fig. 517a. Figure 517b shows that in the depletion
region, the MOS capacitor consists of two capacitors in series: the oxide capacitor,
Cox, and the depletion-layer capacitor, Cdep. Under the AC small-signal voltage,
Wdep expands and contracts slightly at the AC frequency. Therefore, the AC charge
appears at the bottom of the depletion layer as shown in Fig. 517b.

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5.6

MOS CV Characteristics

icap

vac

Vg

CV meter

MOS capacitor

FIGURE 515 Setup for the CV measurement.

C
Cox

Vfb
Accumulation

Vg

Vt
Depletion

Inversion

FIGURE 516 The quasi-static MOS CV characteristics.

s
C dep = ------------W dep

(5.6.2)

1
1
1
---- = --------- + -----------C ox C dep
C

(5.6.3)

1- =
--C

( V g V fb )
1 - + 2--------------------------------------2
qN a s
C ox

(5.6.4)

To derive Eq. (5.6.4), one needs to solve Eq. (5.3.3) for Wdep as a function of
Vg. The derivation is left as an exercise for the reader in the problems section at the
end of the chapter. As Vg increases beyond Vfb, Wdep expands, and therefore C
decreases as shown in Fig. 516.
Figure 517c shows that an inversion layer exists at the SiSiO2 interface. In
response to the AC signal, Qinv increases and decreases at the AC frequency. The
inversion layer plays the role of the bottom electrode of the capacitor. Therefore, C
reverts to Cox in the inversion region as shown in Fig. 516. This CV curve is called

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Chapter 5

MOS Capacitor

Gate

Gate

      

Cox

Cox

      

Cdep

Wdep

     

P-substrate

P-substrate

(a)

(b)

Gate

Gate
Cox

Cox
N+

      

N+

DC

      


Cdep

AC
Wdmax

DC and AC
P-substrate

P-substrate

(c)

(d)

FIGURE 517 Illustration of the MOS capacitor in all bias regions with the depletionlayers shaded. (a) Accumulation region; (b) depletion region; (c) inversion region with
efficient supply of inversion electrons from the N region corresponding to the transistor
CV or the quasi-static CV; and (d) inversion region with no supply of inversion electrons
(or weak supply by thermal generation) corresponding to the high-frequency capacitor
CV case.

the quasi-static CV because Qinv can respond to the AC signal as if the frequency
were infinitely low (static case). That would require a ready source of electrons,
which can be provided by the N region shown in Fig. 517c. PN junctions are always
present in an MOS transistor. Therefore, the MOS transistor CV characteristics at
all frequencies follow the curve in Fig. 516, which is repeated as the upper curve in
Fig. 518.
What if, as in Fig. 517d, the PN junctions are not present? The P-type
substrate is an inefficient supplier of electrons. It produces electrons through
thermal generation at a very slow rate (for the same reason the diode reverse
leakage current is small.) Qinv cannot respond to the AC signal and remains
constant at its DC value. Instead, the AC signal causes s to oscillate around 2B

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5.6

MOS CV Characteristics

MOS transistor CV at any f, LF

capacitor CV, or QS CV

Cox

HF MOS capacitor CV

Vfb
Accumulation

Vg

Vt
Depletion

Inversion

FIGURE 518 Two possible MOS CV characteristics. The difference in the inversion region
is explained in Fig. 517c and d.

and causes Wdep to expand and contract slightly around Wdmax. This change of
Wdep can respond at very high frequencies because it only involves the movement
of the abundant majority carriers. Consequently, the AC charge exists at the
bottom of the depletion region. The result is a saturation of C at Vt as illustrated
by the lower curve in Fig. 518. This curve is known as the capacitor CV or the
high-frequency MOS capacitor CV (HF CV). The name connotes that, in
principle, at a sufficiently low frequency, even the MOS capacitors CV would
follow the upper curve in Fig. 518. Following that reasoning, the upper curve is
also known as the low-frequency CV (LF CV). In reality, even at a low
frequency such as 1 kHz, the CV of modern high-quality MOS capacitors does
not follow the LF CV curve. At yet lower frequencies, the CV meter is
ineffective (the capacitative current is too low) for studying the MOS capacitor.
The term low-frequency CV has a historical significance and is still used, but it
no longer has a practical significance.

Measuring the Quasi-Static CV Using an MOS Capacitor

There is a practical way to obtain the low frequency or quasi-static CV (upper

branch of Fig. 518) using an MOS capacitor without the PN junction. It involves
applying a very slow linear-ramp voltage (<0.1V/s) to the gate and measuring Ig with
a very sensitive DC ammeter during the ramp. C is calculated from Ig = CdVg/dt.
This technique provides sufficient time for Qinv to respond to the slowly changing Vg.
Plotting Ig/(dVg/dt) vs. Vg produces the QS CV curve shown in Fig. 518. This
technique becomes impracticable if the gate dielectric has too large a leakage
current.

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Chapter 5

MOS Capacitor

EXAMPLE 51

CV of MOS Capacitor and Transistor

C

MOS transistor CV,

QS CV

HF capacitor CV

Vg

FIGURE 519 CV curves of MOS capacitor and transistor.

For each of the following cases, does the QS CV or the HF capacitor CV apply?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)

MOS transistor, 10 kHz.

MOS transistor, 100 MHz.
MOS capacitor, 100 MHz.
MOS capacitor, 10 kHz.
MOS capacitor, slow Vg ramp.
MOS transistor, slow Vg ramp.

(Answer: QS CV).
(Answer: QS CV).
(Answer: HF capacitor CV).
(Answer: HF capacitor CV).
(Answer: QS CV).
(Answer: QS CV).

5.7 OXIDE CHARGEA MODIFICATION TO Vfb AND Vt4

The basic MOS theory ignores the possible presence of electric charge in the gate
dielectric. Assuming surface charge, Qox (C/cm2), exists at the SiO2Si interface, the
band diagram at the flat-band condition would be modified from Fig. 520a to 520b.
Qox /Cox

EF, Ec

Ec

EF, Ec

Vfb0
EF

Ev

Vfb
Ev





Ec

Ev
EF
Ev

Gate

Oxide body
(a)

Gate

Oxide body
(b)

FIGURE 520 Flat-band condition (no band bending at body surface) (a) without any oxide
charge; (b) with Qox at the oxidesubstrate interface.
4 This section may be omitted in an accelerated course.

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5.7

Oxide ChargeA Modification to Vfb and Vt

The flat-band voltage in Fig. 520a is g s (Section 5.1). In Fig. 520b, the
oxide charge (assumed to be located at the oxidesubstrate interface for simplicity)
induces an electric field in the oxide and an oxide voltage, Qox/Cox. Clearly, Vfb in
part b is different from the Vfb0 in part a. Specifically,
V fb = V fb0 Q ox C ox = g s Q ox C ox

(5.7.1)

Because Qox changes Vfb, it also changes Vt through Eq. (5.4.3).

There are several types of oxide charge. Positive fixed oxide charge is attributed
to silicon ions present at the SiSiO2 interface. Mobile oxide charge is believed to be
mostly sodium ions. Mobile ions can be detected by observing Vfb and Vt shift under a
gate bias at an elevated temperature (e.g., at 200 C) due to the movement of the ions
in the oxide. Sodium contamination must be eliminated from the water, chemicals,
and containers used in an MOS fabrication line in order to prevent instabilities in Vfb
and Vt. In addition, significant interface traps or interface states may be present and
they can trap and release electrons and generate noise (see Section 6.15.3) and
degrade the subthreshold current of MOSFET (see Section 7.2).
Reliability

More interface states and fixed oxide charge appear after the oxide is subjected to high
electric field for some time due to the breaking or rearrangement of chemical bonds.
This raises a reliability concern because the threshold voltage and transistor current
would change with usage and can potentially cause sensitive circuits to fail. Engineers
ensure device reliability by controlling the stress field and improving the MOS interface quality and verifying or projecting the reliability with careful long-term testing.
EXAMPLE 52 Interpret the measured Vfb dependence on oxide thickness in
Fig. 521 using Eq. (5.7.1). It is known that the gate electrode is N+ poly-Si.
What can you tell about the capacitors?

Vfb
10 nm

20 nm

30 nm

Tox

0.15V


0.3V

FIGURE 521 Measured Vfb of three capacitors with different oxide thicknesses.
SOLUTION:

V fb = g s Q ox T ox ox

(5.7.1)

Equation (5.7.1) suggests that Vfb at Tox = 0 is g s. Therefore, g s = 0.15 V.

This is illustrated in Fig. 522.

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E0, Vacuum level

cg

cs
cg  0.15V

EF, Ec

Ev

Ec
EF

N-Si gate

Ev
Si body

FIGURE 522 The relationship between g and s.

Because EF is 0.15 V below Ec, we conclude that the substrate is N-type with
Nd = n = Nce

0.15 eV kT

17

10 cm

Further, Eq. (5.7.1) suggests that

Q ox = ox slope of line in Fig. 521
14

8
2
0.15 V 3.9 8.85 10 0.15 V
= ox ------------------- = ------------------------------------------------------------------- = 1.7 10 C/cm
8
30 nm
300 10

This corresponds to 1.7 108 cm2 q = 9 1010 cm2 of positive charge at the
interface. A high-quality MOS interface has about 1010 cm2 of charge. Both
numbers are small fractions of the number of silicon atoms on a (100) crystal
plane, 7 1014 cm2. In this sense, the SiO2Si interface is remarkably wellbehaved and charge-free.

5.8 POLY-SI GATE DEPLETIONEFFECTIVE INCREASE IN TOX

Consider an MOS capacitor with P+ poly-Si gate and N body. The capacitor is
biased into surface inversion. Figure 523a shows that the continuity of electric flux
requires that the band bends in the gate. This indicates the presence of a thin
depletion layer in the gate. Depending on the gate doping concentration and the
oxide field, the poly-Si gate depletion layer thickness, Wdpoly, may be 12 nm.
According to Gausss Law,
W dpoly = ox ox qN poly

(5.8.1)

Because a depletion layer is present in the gate, one may say that a poly-silicon-gate
capacitor is added in series with the oxide capacitor as shown in Fig. 523b. The MOS
capacitance in the inversion region becomes

ox
T ox W dpoly 1
1
1 1
- + -----------------= ---------------------------------------C = --------- + -------------- = -------C

ox
s
T ox + W dpoly 3
ox C poly

(5.8.2)

This poly-depletion effect effectively increases Tox by Wdpolyox/s or Wdpoly/3,

and can have a significant impact on the CV curve if Tox is thin. The gate
capacitance drops as the capacitor is biased deeper into the inversion region due to
increasing poly-depletion as shown in Fig. 526. The poly-depletion effect is

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5.8

Poly-Si Gate DepletionEffective Increase in Tox

Wdpoly

P poly-Si

Ec

Cpoly
Cox

EF, Ev

qfpoly

      

Ec
EF

P

N-body

Ev


P -gate

N-substrate
(a)

(b)

FIGURE 523 Poly-gate depletion effect illustrated with (a) the band diagram and (b) series
capacitors representation. An N+ poly-Si gate can also be depleted.

undesirable because a reduced C means reduced Qinv, and reduced transistor

current. The solution is to dope the poly-Si heavily. Unfortunately, very heavy
doping may cause dopant penetration from the gate through the oxide into the
substrate. Poly-SiGe gate can be doped to a higher concentration, thus improving
gate depletion [1]. Poly-gate depletion is eliminated in advanced MOSFET
technology by substitution of the poly-gate with a metal gate (see Section 7.4).
The effect of poly-gate depletion on Qinv may be modeled in another way:
Q inv = C ox ( V g poly V t )

(5.8.3)

Poly-gate depletion effectively reduces Vg by poly. Even 0.1 V poly would be

highly undesirable when the power-supply voltage (the maximum Vg) is only
around 1 V.
EXAMPLE 53

Poly-Si Gate Depletion

Assume that Vox, the voltage across a 2 nm thin oxide is 1 V. The P+ polygate doping is Npoly = 8 1019 cm3 and substrate Nd is 1017cm3. Estimate
(a) Wdpoly, (b) poly, and (c) Vg.
SOLUTION:

a. Using Eq. (5.8.1),

W dpoly = ox ox qN poly = ox V ox T ox qN poly
14

3.9 8.85 10 ( F cm ) 1V
= ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7
19
19
3
2 10 cm 1.6 10 C 8 10 cm
14

10 cm- = 0.13 10 6 cm = 1.3 nm

------------------------------------= 34.5
8
256 10

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b. Wdpoly is related to poly by the depletion-region model

W dpoly =

2 s poly
--------------------qN poly
2

poly = qN poly W dpoly 2 s

19

19

1.6 10 C 8 10 cm ( 1.3 10 cm )
= -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------14
2 12 8.85 10 F cm
13

10 V = 0.11 V
------------------------------= 2.3
12
2.1 10

c. Equation (5.2.2) with a poly term added is

V g = V fb + st + V ox + poly
E kT N
V fb = g s = -----g- ------- ln ------c- = 1.1 0.15 V = 0.95 V
q q Nd
V g = 0.95 0.8 1 0.11 V = 0.96 V
kT N
Using Eq. (5.4.5), st = 2 B = 2 ------- ln ------d- = 0.8
q
ni
Draw an energy band diagram to confirm the signs of terms in the last
equation. The loss of 0.11 V to poly-depletion is a large loss relative to the
0.96 V applied voltage.

5.9 INVERSION AND ACCUMULATION CHARGE-LAYER

THICKNESSES AND QUANTUM MECHANICAL EFFECT
So far, we have implicitly assumed that the inversion charge is a sheet charge at
the SiSiO2 interface (i.e., the inversion layer is infinitely thin). In reality, the
inversion-charge profile is determined by the solution of the Schrdinger
equation and Poissons equation [2]. For this reason, the present topic is often
referred to as the quantum mechanical effect in an MOS device. An example of
the charge profile is shown in Fig. 524. The average location or centroid of the
inversion charge below the SiSiO2 interface is called the inversion-layer
thickness, Tinv. Figure 525 shows Tinv as a function of Vg. When Vg is large, Tinv is
around 1.5 nm. When Vg is low, Tinv can be 3 nm. It is shown in Eq. (6.3.6) that
Vg + V
average field in the inversion layer = -------------------t
6T ox

(5.9.1)

It is reasonable that Tinv is a function of the average field, and therefore a function of
(Vg + Vt)/Tox as shown in Fig. 525. The electron inversion layer is thinner than the
hole inversion layer because the electron effective mass is smaller. It is valid to think
that the bottom electrode of the MOS capacitor is not exactly at the SiSiO2 interface

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5.9

Inversion and Accumulation Charge-layer Thickness

Electron density

Gate

50

40

Poly-Si
depletion
layer

30

20

Inversion
layer
thickness

SiO2

10

10

Quantum
mechanical theory

20

30

40

50

Physical Tox
Effective gate dielectric

Nsub
2  1016 cm3

Nsub
2  1017 cm3
Nsub
2  1018 cm3

Solid
Tox = 70 A
 Center Tox = 50 A
Open
Tox = 30 A

13

Hole

10

Electron

17
Eqivalent oxide thickness ()

AC inversion centroid in silicon (nm)

FIGURE 524 Average location of the inversion-layer electrons is about 15 below the
SiSiO2 interface. Poly-Si gate depletion is also shown.

6.2  105((Vg + Vt)/Tox)0.4 cm

7.75  105|(Vg + Vt)/Tox)0.4 cm

1  107

5  106

5  106

1  107

(Vg + Vt)/Tox (V/cm)

FIGURE 525 Average inversion-layer thickness (centroid) for electrons (in P body) and
holes (in N body). (From [3]. 1999 IEEE.)

but rather effectively located below the interface by Tinv. In other words, Tox is
effectively increased by Tinv/3, where 3 is the ratio of s/ox. The accumulation layer
has a similar thickness. The effect on the CV characteristics (shown in Fig. 526) is to
depress the CV curve at the onset of inversion and accumulation. Figure 527
explains the transition of the CV curve in Fig. 526 from the depletion to the
inversion region. Figure 527a is the general case. In the depletion region, Cinv is
negligible (there is no inversion charge) and Cpoly can be neglected because Wdpoly <<
Wdep. Therefore, Fig. 527 reduces to the basic series combination of Cox and Cdep of
Fig. 527b. As Vg increases toward Vt, Cinv increases as the inversion charge begins to
appear, and the total capacitance rises above the basic CV as shown in Fig. 527c and

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C
Basic CV

Cox

With poly-depletion
With poly-depletion and
charge-layer thickness
Measured data
Theory
Vg

FIGURE 526 The effects of poly-depletion and charge-layer thickness on the CV curve of
an N+ poly-gate, P-substrate device.

Fig. 526. The capacitance rises smoothly toward Cox because the inversion charge is
not located exactly at the siliconoxide interface, but at some depth that varies with
Vg as shown in Fig. 525. At larger Vg, Cpoly cannot be assumed to be infinity (Wdpoly
increases), and C drops in Fig. 526.
Tinv and Wdpoly used to be negligible when Tox was large (>10 nm). For thinner
oxides, they are not. Because it is difficult to separate Tox from Tinv and Wdpoly by
measurement, an electrical oxide thickness, Toxe, is often used to characterize the
total effective oxide thickness. Toxe is deduced from the inversion-region capacitance
measured at Vg = Vdd. One may think of Toxe as an effective oxide thickness,
corresponding to an effective gate capacitance, Coxe. Toxe is the sum of three
thicknesses,
T oxe = T ox + W dpoly 3 + T inv 3

(5.9.2)

where 3 is the ratio of s/ox, which translates Wdpoly and Tinv into equivalent oxide
thicknesses. The total inversion charge per area, Qinv , is
Q inv = C oxe ( V g V t )

ox
( V Vt )
= ----------T oxe g

(5.9.3)

Typically, Toxe is larger than Tox by 610 .

Cpoly

Cox

Cdep

Cox
Cdep

Cinv

(a)

Cpoly

Cox

Cox

(b)

Cdep

Cinv

(c)

Cinv

(d)

FIGURE 527 Equivalent circuit for understanding the CV curve in the depletion region
and the inversion region. (a) General case for both depletion and inversion regions; (b) in the
depletion regions; (c) Vg Vt; and (d) strong inversion.

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5.10

CCD Imager and CMOS Imager

In addition, there is another quantum effect that increases the threshold

voltage [4]. At high substrate doping concentration, the high electric field in the
substrate at the oxide interface in Fig. 57 causes the energy levels to be quantized
and effectively increases Eg and decreases ni in Eq. (5.4.1). This requires the band
to bend down more before reaching threshold, i.e., causes st in Eq. (5.4.2) to
increase. The net effect is that the threshold voltage is increased by 100mV or so
depending on the doping concentration due to this quantum effect on threshold
voltage.

5.10 CCD IMAGER AND CMOS IMAGER

An imager is a sensing device that converts an optical image into an electronic
signal. CCD imager and CMOS imager are used in digital cameras and
camcorders. CCD imagers have higher performance but are more expensive.
CMOS imagers are newer and less expensive. They are presented in the next two
sub-sections.
5.10.1 CCD Imager
CCD stands for charge-coupled device [5]. The heart of a CCD imager is a large
number of MOS capacitors densely packed in a two-dimensional array.
Let us first consider how a single MOS capacitor reacts to light. Figure 528a
shows an MOS capacitor biased into deep-depletion. A voltage, Vg > Vt, has been
suddenly applied to the gate. Because thermal generation is a slow process, there


Ec

Ec




EF
Ev

EF
Ev


Ec , EF

Ec , EF

Ev

Ev

(a)

(b)

FIGURE 528 Deep depletion. (a) Immediately after a gate voltage Vg >, Vt is applied, there
are no electrons at the surface. (b) After exposure to light, photo-generated electrons have
been collected at the surface. The number of electrons is proportional to the light intensity.

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are no electrons (no inversion layer) at the surface during at least the first fraction
of a second. As a result, the band bends beyond 2B and the depletion region
extends beyond Wdmax. This condition is called deep depletion. If light shines on
the MOS capacitor in this condition for ten milliseconds, some photo-generated
electrons will be collected at the interface as shown in Fig. 528b. The photogenerated holes flow into the substrate and are removed through the substrate
contact. The number of electrons collected is proportional to the light intensity.
This is the first function of a CCD arrayto convert an image (two-dimensional
pattern of light intensity) into packets of electrons stored in a two-dimensional
array of MOS capacitors.
Deep-Depletion CV

If an MOS capacitor is biased into deep depletion by rapidly sweeping the gate bias,
Wdep may exceed Wdmax. As a result, the capacitance continues to fall even at Vg > Vt
as shown in Fig. 529. Deep-depletion CV again illustrates the impossibility of
establishing the inversion layer rapidly in an MOS capacitor (without a PN junction
supplying the inversion charge).
C
QS CV or LF CV

HF CV
Deep-depletion CV
Vg

FIGURE 529 Deep-depletion CV.

The second function of a CCD array is to transfer the collected charge packets
to the edge of the array, where they can be read by a charge sensing circuit in a serial
manner. To illustrate this charge transfer function, let us examine the onedimensional array in Fig. 530, representing a small portion of a single row in the
two-dimensional array. Every three MOS capacitors or elements constitute one
sensor pixel. In Fig. 530a, exposure to a lens-projected image has produced some
electrons in the element on the right, even more in the element on the left and yet
more in the middle element in proportion to the image light intensity around those
three locations. Electrons are collected only under these three elements, not the ones
flanking them, because these three are biased to deeper band bendings (more
positive s) than their neighbor elements and any electrons that might show up in the
neighbors would flow to these three more positive locations. Under the bias
condition of Fig. 530b, V2 creates the deepest depletion. After the gate biases are
switched from (a) to (b), the charge packets will move to the elements connected to
V2 (i.e., shifted to the right by one element). The choice of V1 > V3 ensures that no

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5.10

CCD Imager and CMOS Imager

V3
V2
V1
V1  V2
V3
Oxide
    

Depletion region

- --- 
 --- 



  

P-Si
(a)

V1

V2

V3

V1

V2

V3

V1

V2  V1  V3
Oxide
    

Depletion region

  

P-Si
(b)

V1

V2

V3

V1

V2

V3

V1

V2  V1
V3
Oxide
    

Depletion region

  

P-Si
(c)

FIGURE 530 How CCD shifts the charge packets. The array is biased in the sequence (a),
(b), (c), (a), (b), (c), (a) ... . The drawing in (c) is identical to (a) but with all the charge
packets shifted to the right by one capacitor element.

electrons are transferred to the left. Finally, in step (c), V1 is reduced to the same
value as V3, thus making (c) identical to (a), except for the shift of the electron
packets to the right, setting the stage for the next transfer operation. In this manner,
the electron packets are shifted to the right element by element. Waiting at the right
edge of the array is a charge-sensing circuit that generates a serial voltage signal that
faithfully represents the image light pattern. In summary, a CCD imager first

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MOS Capacitor

Reading row,
shielded from
light

Signal out

Charge-to-voltage converter

FIGURE 531 Architecture of a two-dimensional CCD imager. The arrows show the path of
the charge-packet movement.

converts light patterns into patterns of electron packets and then transfers the
charge packets one element at a time to the edge of the array, where they are
converted into a serial electrical signal by a charge-sensing circuit. For example, the
three charge packets in Fig. 530 would generate a small signal pulse, followed by a
large pulse, and then a medium pulse.
Figure 531 depicts a two-dimensional CCD imager containing four rows and
four columns of 16 MOS capacitors plus a reading row at the bottom. The reading row
is shielded from the light by a metal film. The two-dimensional charge packets are
read row by row. First, the charge packets in the 16 elements are shifted downward by
one row. This action transfers the charge packets in the lowest sensing row (the fourth
row from the top) into the reading row. Next, the charge packets in the reading row
only are shifted to the right. To the right side of the row is a circuit that converts each
arriving charge packet into a voltage pulse. After the packets of the fourth row have
been read in this way, the remaining three rows of charge packets are shifted
downward by one row again. Now the reading row begins to shift the new row of
charge packets to the converter circuit. During the shifting-and-reading operation, the
CCD array is blocked from light with a mechanical shutter. Otherwise, the image
would be smeared. For example, the charge packets in the top row would be exposed
to the light patterns of the other rows during the shifting and reading.
5.10.2 CMOS Imager
CMOS imagers do not shift the charge packets from row to row. They do not need
mechanical shutters, use less power, and are cheaper than CCD imagers. For these
reasons, CMOS imagers made mobile phone cameras practical and are widely used
in low-cost digital cameras. In a CMOS imager, the charge collected in an array
element is converted into voltage by a circuit integrated in that array element as

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5.10

CCD Imager and CMOS Imager

PN-junction
charge collector

Switch

Vr1

Amplifier circuit

Vr2

Vr3

Shifter circuit

Signal out

FIGURE 532 Architecture of a CMOS imager. Each array element has its own charge-tovoltage converter represented by the triangle. Actual imagers may support hundreds to over
a thousand rows and columns of pixels.

shown in Fig. 532. An open-circuited N+P junction collects the light-generated

charge. The P substrate is grounded. Electrons generated by light near the PN
junction diffuse to the junction and get collected and stored in the thin N+ region.
Since the PN junction is a capacitor, the stored electrons change the capacitor
voltage, i.e., the N+-region voltage. This voltage is amplified in the pixel as shown in
Fig. 532.
Each pixel also contains a switch made of an MOS transistor and controlled
by the voltages Vr1, Vr2, or Vr3 that is carried by long horizontal metal lines. In
order to read the top row of pixels, Vr1 is raised to turn on (close) all the switches in
the top row. This brings the signals from all the top-row pixels to the shifter circuit
below by vertical-running metal lines.
CMOS imagers became attractive only after transistor size reduction made
the circuitry in each array element, employing half a dozen or more transistors,
small in comparison with the element area. CMOS imagers are so named because
their circuitry and the N+P junctions are fabricated with CMOS circuit (see Section
6.2) technology. CMOS IC technology is the mainstream manufacturing technology
and its high volume has driven the wafer cost of CMOS imagers below that of CCD
imagers. Because they share the same CMOS technology, CMOS imagers can be
integrated with signal processing and control circuitries to further reduce system
costs. A CMOS imagers image uniformity and contrast ratio are not as good as
those of a CCD. The size constraint of the sensing circuits forces the CMOS imager
to use very simple circuits and it is difficult to avoid variations among the very large
number of sensing circuits. In contrast, a CCD imager employs a small number of
sophisticated sensing circuits.

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Color Imagers

A color imager must produce three separate signals for the red, green, and blue light in
the image. A color pixel usually contains four sensor array elements. The upper-left
element senses red light. The upper-right senses green and the lower-right senses blue.
The lower-left element senses green again because the human eye is more sensitive to
the green light than red and blue. The color designation is accomplished by coating the
elements with red, green, or blue filter films. These films containing color dyes may be
deposited by a spin-on process and patterned with photolithography similar to
photoresists (Section 3.3).

5.11 CHAPTER SUMMARY

The three regions (accumulation, depletion, and inversion) and the two transition
points (flat-band and threshold) are reviewed in Fig. 533 for the two prevalent
MOS device types. Upward arrows indicate negative Vg and downward arrows,
positive Vg. Please review this figure carefully.
The flat-band voltage is
V fb = g s Q ox C ox

(5.7.1)

g and s are the gate and substrate work functions. Qox is a sheet charge that may
be present at the SiO2Si interface. The gate voltage in excess of Vfb is divided
between the substrate and the oxide and the poly-gate depletion layer.
V g = V fb + s + V ox + poly
= V fb + s Q sub C ox + poly

(5.2.2 & Sec. 5.8)

(5.2.6)

s is the surface potential, or the substrate band bending. Vox is the oxide
voltage. Qsub (C/cm2) is all the accumulation, inversion, and depletion-layer charge.
At the threshold of inversion, s is
st = 2 B

(5.4.2 & 5.4.5)

kT N sub
B = ------- ln ----------q
ni

(5.4.2 & 5.4.6)

qN sub 2 s st
V t = V fb + st -------------------------------------C ox

(5.11.5 & 5.4.4)

In the last three equations, the positive signs are for a P substrate (band bending
downward) and the negative signs are for an N substrate (band bending upward).
There are two types of CV curves as shown in Fig. 534. The quasi-static
(QS) CV curve, also known as the LF CV, is applicable when the inversion charge
can rapidly follow the change in Vg. It is the MOS transistor CV at all frequencies
because the short-circuited PN junction is a source of Qinv. The lower CV curve,
the capacitor (HF) CV, is applicable when Qinv cannot follow the change in AC Vg.
A third CV curve, the deep-depletion CV (Fig. 529), applies when Qinv cannot
even follow the rapid change in the bias Vg.

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5.11

N-type device
(N+ -gate over P-substrate)

Chapter Summary

P-type device
(P+ -gate over N-substrate)
Accumulation

Vg  Vfb  0

Vg  Vfb  0

EF

EF
EF

EF

Flat-band

Vg
Vfb 0

Vg
Vfb  0
EF

EF
EF

EF

Depletion
Vg
0  Vfb
EF

Vg
0  Vfb
EF
EF

EF

Threshold

Vg
Vt  0

Vg
Vt  0

EF
EF

EF
EF
Vg=>Vt>0

Inversion

Vg  Vt  0

Vg  Vt

EF
EF

EF
EF

FIGURE 533 Energy band diagrams of the two dominant types of MOS capacitors. An N-type
device is so named because it has N-type inversion charge that increases with a more positive
Vg, and a P-type device has P-type inversion charge increasing with a more negative Vg.

The finite thickness of the inversion and accumulation layers, Tinv and Tacc,
effectively increases Tox by Tinv/3 and Tacc/3. The electrical oxide thicknesses is
T oxe = T ox + W dpoly 3 + T ch 3

(5.9.2)

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MOS Capacitor

N-type device
(N+ -gate over P-substrate)

P-type device
(P+ -gate over N-substrate)

QS CV
Transistor CV

Capacitor
HF CV

Vg

Vg

FIGURE 534 N-type and P-type MOS capacitors.

The number 3 is the ratio of silicon permittivity (11.9) to SiO2 permittivity (3.9).
Toxe is usually determined from the inversion-region capacitance measured at
Vg = Vdd. Quantization of states in the inversion layer causes the threshold voltage
to increase beyond the prediction of the basic threshold voltage theory.
A CCD (chargecoupled device) is an imaging device based on an array of
MOS capacitors operating under the deep-depletion condition, starved of
inversion charge. Photo-generated carriers are collected in the surface potential
wells, and the collected charge packets are transferred in a serial manner to the
charge-sensing circuit located at the edge of the array. CCD imagers have been
replaced by CMOS imagers where cost, size, and power consumption are more
important than the best image quality. CMOS imagers integrate a charge-tovoltage conversion circuit in each sensing array element. In both types of imagers,
color sensing is achieved with separate sensing elements for red, green, and blue
in each pixel.

PROBLEMS
Energy Band Diagram

5.1 Sketch the energy band diagrams of an MOS capacitor with N-type silicon substrate
and N+ poly-Si gate at flatband, in accumulation, in depletion, at threshold, and in
inversion.
5.2 Sketch the energy band diagrams (i) at thermal equilibrium and (ii) at flat band for the
following MOS systems. Use a work function value that you find from any source.
(a) Tungsten, W, gate with 1 cm N-type silicon substrate.
(b) Tungsten, W, gate with 1 cm P-type silicon substrate.
(c) Heavily doped P+ polycrystalline silicon gate with 1 cm N-type silicon substrate.
(d) Heavily doped N+-polycrystalline silicon gate with 1 cm P-type silicon substrate.

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Problems
MOS System: Inversion, Threshold, Depletion, and Accumulation

5.3 The body of an MOS capacitor is N type. Match the charge diagrams (1) through (5) in
Fig. 535 to (a) flat band, (b) accumulation, (c) depletion, (d) threshold, and (e) inversion.
MOS System
Gate

Gate

Substrate

Substrate

Substrate

Q

Q
x

Q

Gate

Q

Ionized donors
Electrons
(1)

Gate

(2)

Substrate

Gate

(3)

Substrate

Q
x

Q

Q
x

Q

Ionized
Holes
donors
(4)

Ionized
Holes
donors
(5)

FIGURE 535
5.4 Consider an ideal MOS capacitor fabricated on a P-type silicon with a doping of
Na = 5 1016cm3 with an oxide thickness of 2 nm and an N+ poly-gate.
(a) What is the flat-band voltage, Vfb, of this capacitor?
(b) Calculate the maximum depletion region width, Wdmax.
(c) Find the threshold voltage, Vt, of this device.
(d) If the gate is changed to P+ poly, what would the threshold voltage be now?
5.5 Figure 536 shows the total charge per unit area in the P-type Si as a function of Vg for
an MOS capacitor at 300 K.
(a) What is the oxide thickness?
(b) What is the doping concentration in Si?
(c) Find the voltage drop in oxide (Vox) when Vg Vfb = 1 V.
(d) Find the band bending in Si when Vg Vfb = 0.5 V.
5.6 Make a series of qualitative sketches paralleling Figs. 511 to 514 (s, Wdep, and
charge as function of Vg) for an MOS capacitor having an N-type substrate and P+poly
gate. (Hint: At Vg = Vt, s is negative. You may assume that Vt is negative.)
5.7 (a) Solve Eq. (5.3.1) for s as a function of Vg.
(b) Find an expression for Vox as a function of Vg.
(c) Make a rough sketch of s vs. Vg and Vox vs. Vg for 3 V < Vg < 2 V, Vfb = 0.9 V,
Na = 1017cm3, and Tox = 3 nm.
(d) Find Wdep as a function of Vg.

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Chapter 5

MOS Capacitor

Qs(coul/cm2)
4  107

1
5  108

Vg Vfb(V)

4.5  107

FIGURE 536
5.8 Consider an MOS capacitor fabricated on P-type Si substrate with a doping of
5 1016 cm3 with oxide thickness of 10nm and N+ poly-gate.
(a) Find Cox, Vfb, and Vt.
(b) Find the accumulation charge (C/cm2) at Vg = Vfb 1 V.
(c) Find the depletion and inversion charge at Vg = 2 V.
(d) Plot the total substrate charge as a function of Vg for Vg from 2 to 2 V.
5.9 If we decrease the substrate doping concentration, how will the following parameters
be affected? (Please indicate your answer by putting a mark, X, in the correct
column.) Write down any relevant equation and explain briefly how you obtain the
answer (a few words or one sentence). Assume the gate material is N+poly and the
body is P type.
Parameters

Increase

Decrease

Unchanged

A Accumulation region capacitance

B Flat-band voltage, Vfb
C Depletion-region capacitance
D Threshold voltage, Vt
E Inversion region capacitance
5.10 From the high-frequency CV measurements on an MOS capacitor with P-Si substrate
performed at 300 K, the following characteristics were deduced:
Oxide thickness = 30 nm
Substrate doping = 1016 cm3
Flat-band voltage = 2 V
Construct the CV curve, labeling everything, including the values of the oxide
capacitance, flat-band voltage, and threshold voltage. Assuming an Al gate with 4.1 V
work function, compute the effective oxide charge.

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Problems
Field Threshold Voltage

5.11 Metal interconnect lines in IC circuits form parasitic MOS capacitors as illustrated in
Fig. 537. Generally, one wants to prevent the underlying Si substrate from becoming
inverted. Otherwise, parasitic transistors may be formed and create undesirable current
paths between the N+ diffusions.
Al interconnect (qcg
4.1 eV)

Insulating layer

P-sub, Na
1015cm3

FIGURE 537
(a) Find Vfb of this parasitic MOS capacitor.
(b) If the interconnect voltage can be as high as 5 V, what is the maximum capacitance
(F/cm2) of the insulating layer that can be tolerated without forming an inversion
layer?
(c) If the insulating layer thickness must be 1 m for fabrication considerations, what
should the dielectric constant K = /0 of the insulating material be to make
Vt = 5 V?
(d) Is the answer in (c) the minimum or maximum allowable K to prevent inversion?
(e) At Vg = Vt + 2 V (Vt = 5 V), what is the area charge density (C/cm2) in the
inversion layer?
(f) At Vg = Vt = 5 V, what is the high-frequency MOS capacitance (F/cm2)?
(g) At Vg = Vt + 2 V (Vt = 5 V), what voltage is dropped across the insulating layer?
Oxide Charge

5.12 Consider the CV curve of an MOS capacitor in Fig. 538 (the solid line). The capacitor
area is 6,400 m2. C0 = 45 pF and C1 = 5.6 pF.

Cox

C1
V

FIGURE 538

Vg

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Chapter 5

MOS Capacitor

If, due to the oxide fixed charge, the CV curve is shifted from the solid line to the
dashed line with V = 0.05 V, what is the charge polarity and the area density (C/cm2 )
of the oxide fixed charge?
5.13 Why is oxide charge undesirable? How do mobile charges get introduced into the
oxide? How can this problem be overcome?
CV Characteristics

5.14 Derive C(Vg) in Eq. (5.6.4). [Hint: Solve Eq. (5.3.3) for Wdep.]
5.15 Answer the following questions based on the CV curve for an MOS capacitor shown
in Fig. 539. The area of the capacitor is 104 m2.
C(pF)
A

QS CV

HF CV
Vg(V)

1

0.5

FIGURE 539
(a) Is the substrate doping N type or P type?
(b) What is the thickness of the oxide in the MOS capacitor?
(c) What is the doping concentration of the substrate, Nsub?
(d) What is the value of the capacitance at position C on the CV curve shown above?
(e) Sketch the energy band diagram of the MOS structure at positions A, B, C, D, and
E on the CV curve.
(f) At location B on the CV curve, what is the band bending, s?
5.16 The CV characteristics of MOS capacitors A (solid line) and B (dashed line), both
having the same area, are shown in Fig. 540.
C
A
B

Vg

FIGURE 540
(a) Are the substrate P type or N type? How do you know this?

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Problems

(b) Circle A or B to select the capacitor having larger

Xox:

Vfb:

Xdmax:

Nsub:

Vt:

5.17 Compare the maximum capacitance that can be achieved in an area 100 100 m2 by
using either an MOS capacitor or a reverse-biased P+N junction diode. Assume an
oxide breakdown field of 8 106 V/cm, a 5V operating voltage, and a safety factor of
two (i.e., design the MOS oxide for 10 V breakdown). The P+N junction is built by
diffusing boron into N-type silicon doped to 1016 cm3
5.18 Consider the siliconoxidesilicon structure shown in Fig. 541. Both silicon regions are
N type with uniform doping of Nd = 1016 cm3.

Silicon

Vg

Oxide

Silicon

GND

FIGURE 541
(a) What would be the flat-band voltage for this structure? Draw the energy band
diagram for the structure for (i) Vg = 0, (ii) Vg < 0 and large, and (iii) Vg > 0 and
large.
(b) Sketch the expected shape of the high-frequency CV characteristics for the
structure. What are the values of the capacitance for large positive and large
negative Vg?
(c) If silicon on the left-hand side in the figure above is P-type doped with
Na = 1016 cm3, sketch the CV characteristics for the new structure.
5.19 Fill in the following table with appropriate mathematical expressions using the basic
MOS CV theory.

Bias condition

Surface
potential

MOS capacitance
(LF)

MOS capacitance
(HF)

MOSFET
capacitance

Accumulation
Flat band
Just below
threshold
Inversion
5.20 The oxide thickness (Tox) and the doping concentration (Na or Nd) of the silicon
substrate can be determined using the high-frequency CV data shown in Fig. 542 for
an MOS structure.

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192

Chapter 5

MOS Capacitor

1.0

0.8

0.6

C/C 0

High frequency
0.4

0.2

12

10

8

6

4

2

(V)

FIGURE 542
(a) Identify the regions of accumulation, depletion, and inversion in the substrate
corresponding to this CV curve. What is the doping type of the semiconductor?
(b) If the maximum capacitance of the structure C0 (which is equal to Cox Area) is
82 pF and the gate area is 4.75 103 cm2, what is the value of Tox?
(c) Determine the concentration in the silicon substrate. Assume a uniform doping
concentration.
(d) Assuming that the gate is P+type, what is Qox?
Poly-Gate Depletion

5.21 (a) Derive Eq. (5.8.1).

(b) Derive an expression for the voltage drop in the poly-depletion region, i.e., the
band bending in the poly-Si gate, s. Assume that the electric field inside the oxide,
ox, is known.
(c) Continue from (b) and express poly in terms of Vg, not ox. Assume surface
inversion, i.e., Vg > Vt. Other usual MOS parameters such as Vfb, Tox, and B may
also appear. Hint: Vg = Vfb + Vox + 2B + poly.
(d) Using the result of (c), find an expression for Wdpoly in terms of Vg, not ox.
For part (e), (f), and (g), assume Tox = 2 nm, Na = 1017cm3, Nd = 6 1019 cm3 (for
N+poly-gate), and Vg = 1.5 V.
(e) Evaluate poly and Wdpoly.
(f) Calculate Vt using Eq. (5.4.3). (The poly-depletion effect maybe ignored in Vt
calculation because ox is very low at Vg = Vt.) Then, using poly from part (e) in
Eq. (5.8.3), find Qinv.
(g) Calculate Qinv = Coxe(Vg _ Vt) with Coxe given by Eq. (5.8.2).

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General References

Discussion:
Equation (5.8.2) is correct for the small signal capacitance
C ( V g ) = dQ ( V g ) dV g Q ( V g ) =

C ( V g ) dV g

Here, part (g) does not yield the correct Qinv because it assumes a constant Coxe. Coxe
varies with Vg due to the poly-depletion effect even for Vg >; Vt. The answer for part (f)
is the correct value for Qinv.
5.22 Draw an energy band diagram for Example 53 in Section 5.8. You need to decide
whether Vg and Vox are positive or negative. (Hint: The problem is about gate
depletion.)
5.23 There is a voltage drop in the gate depletion region (Vpoly). Express the following items
using Vpoly, the gate doping concentration Npoly, and the oxide capacitance Cox as
given variables.
(a) What is the charge density Qpoly in the gate depletion region?
(b) What is Cpoly? (Cpoly = s / Wdpoly)
(c) What is the total MOS capacitance in the inversion region when poly depletion is
included?
Threshold Voltage Expression

5.24 After studying the derivation of Eq. (5.4.3), write down the steps of derivation on your
own.

REFERENCES
1. Lee, W. C., T-J. King, and C. Hu. Observation of Reduced Boron Penetration and Gate
Depletion for Poly-SiGe Gated PMOS Devices. IEEE Electron Device Letters. 20 (1)
(1999), 911.
2. Stern, F. Quantum Properties of Surface Space-Charge Layers. CDC Critical Review Solid
State Science. 4 (1974), 499.
3. Yang, K., Y-C. King, and C. Hu. Quantum Effect in Oxide Thickness Determination from
Capacitance Measurement. Technical Digest of Symposium on VLSI Technology, 1999, 7778.
4. Taur, Y., and T. H. Ning. Fundamentals of Modern VLSI Devices. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge
University Press, 1998.
5. Tompsett, M.F. Video Signal Generation, in Electronic Imaging, T. P. McLean, ed. New
York: Academic, 1979, 55.

GENERAL REFERENCES
1. Muller, R. S., T. I. Kamins, and M. Chen. Device Electronics for Integrated Circuits, 3rd ed.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2003.
2. Pierret, R. F. Semiconductor Device Fundamentals. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1996.

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