University of Ottawa

ELG 3137
Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect
Transistor Characteristics

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Charlie Huang 300306379

Introduction:

The Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) is a fundamental component in
modern electronic circuits. It is widely used in both digital and analog applications due to its high
efficiency, scalability, and controllability. This experiment investigates the current-voltage (I-V)
characteristics of an n-channel enhancement-mode MOSFET (2N7000), to understand its behavior in
different operating regions: subthreshold, linear, and saturation.

Through a series of measurements and analyses, key device parameters such as threshold voltage
(VT), channel conductance (gDS), channel resistance (rd), and transconductance (gm) are extracted.
These parameters are essential for modeling and designing MOSFET-based circuits, especially in
applications such as amplifiers and switches. Additionally, the experiment includes the use of the
MOSFET's small-signal model to evaluate its performance under varying gate and drain voltages.
Theoretical understanding is reinforced through practical measurements and simulations, providing a
comprehensive insight into the operation and characteristics of MOSFETs.

Experiment Part:

Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:

Estimated Threshold Voltage VT: 2.2V

Prefactor (μnCiZ/2L)​: 8.17 x 10-5 S/V

Step 5:

VGS​(V) rd​(Ω)
2.0 173.88 Ω
2.2 38.84 Ω
2.4 7.22 Ω
2.6 2.00 Ω
2.8 0.62 Ω
3.0 0.29 Ω
Step 6:

VGS (V) gm (VDS = 0.2) gm (VDS = 0.4) gm (VDS = 0.6) gm (VDS = 0.8)
0 0 5.0e-6 5.0e-6 5.0e-6
0.2 2.5e-6 2.5e-6 0 0
0.4 2.5e-6 2.5e-6 -1.694e-21 -2.5e-6
0.6 2.5e-06 2.5e-6 2.5e-6 2.5e-6
0.8 2.5e-6 0 0 2.5e-6
1.0 2.5e-6 2.5e-6 2.5e-6 2.5e-6
1.2 8.0e-5 7.45e-4 7.2e-4 4.275e-4
1.4 9.775e-4 9.9e-4 1.005e-3 6.825e-4
1.6 0.0134825 0.0132375 0.0134375 0.0139375
1.8 0.167965 0.17596 0.17913 0.18224
2.0 1.418 1.578 1.624 1.649
2.2 7.377 8.323 8.571 8.696
2.4 19.55 25.89 27.49 28.87
2.6 26.93 47.84 57.02 60.59
2.8 22.45 53.40 80.26 96.25
3.0 13.92 37.60 69.67 101.2
3.2 7.975 20.20 39.10 65.19
3.4 5.02 11.65 20.62 32.61
3.6 3.490 7.685 12.66 17.95
3.8 2.605 5.575 8.88 11.33
4.0 1.995 4.197 6.553 8.207
 4.2 1.620 3.350 4.752 5.610
4.4 1.390 2.840 3.950 4.398
4.6 1.185 2.407 3.610 4.067
4.8 1.032 2.080 3.100 3.237
5.0 0.9650 1.940 2.895 2.975

Here is the updated gm vs. VGS plot with the threshold voltage VT ≈ 2.2V marked using a red dashed
line.
This visually shows where the MOSFET begins to conduct strongly, where transconductance gm​starts
to rise rapidly, confirming the earlier analysis from gDS and IDS curves.

Step 7:

Threshold Voltage VT: 2.2V

Prefactor (μnCiZ/2L)​: 63.16 mS/V

Step 8:

The unit of current I_ds is in mA while the voltage V_gs are in volts. The slope of each function indicates
the prefactor and the x intercept indicates the threshold voltage.

Step 9:

Vgs(V) (μnCiZ/2L) Threshold voltage

0.2 42.711 1.8

0.4 60.088 1.8

0.6 72.957 1.8

0.8 82.891 1.8

Step 10:
The curve and different measurements are shown on the graph in step 8.

Step 11:

In my opinion, the best characteristic to determine the threshold voltage V_T​and the process-dependent
parameterμnCiZ/2L​​is the sqrt(I_DS)​​vs. V_GS​plot from Step 8. This is because, in the saturation region,
the MOSFET current follows a square-law relationship, and when the square root of I_DS​is plotted
against V_GS​, the result is a straight line. This linearity makes it easier to identify the threshold voltage as
the x-intercept and obtain the process parameter from the slope.

Step 12:

Simulation for step 2

Simulation for Step 6:

Conclusion:
After analyzing the I-V characteristics and small signal model of n-channel enhancement mode
MOSFETs, we identified key device parameters such as threshold voltage, current pre-factor, channel
transconductance, conductance, and resistance.

We used the Vgs and Vds relationships to determine MOSFET characteristics such as threshold voltage
andμnCiZ/2L. We determined the optimal approach for calculating constant parameters.