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4 pp 428-434
Required background: 6.2 Energy band diagram of an MOS capacitor
Next: 6.4 The MOS inversion layer charge
oxphif.gif
Fig. Workfunction of metals as obtained from I-V and C-V measurements on MOS
structures as a function of the workfunction of those metals measured in vacuum. (Mg =
Magnesium, Al = Aluminum, Cu = Copper, Ag = Silver, Ni = Nickel and Au = Gold)
The workfunction of a semiconductor requires some more thought since the fermi energy varies
with the doping type as well as with the doping concentration. This workfunction equals the sum
of the electron affinity, the difference between the conduction band energy and the intrinsic
energy divided by the electronic charge and the bulk potential as expressed by the following
equation:
(mf26)
where the bulk potential is given by:
(mf27)
As can be seen from the above equations, the bulk potential is positive for p-type substrates and
negative for n-type substrates.
For MOS structures with a highly doped poly-silicon gate one must also calculate the
workfunction of the gate based on the bulk potential of the poly-silicon.
(mf28a)
where the second term is the voltage across the oxide due to the charge at the oxidesemiconductor interface and the third term is due to the charge density in the oxide.
The actual calculation of the flat band voltage is further complicated by the fact that charge can
move within the oxide, while the charge at the oxide-semiconductor interface due to surface
states also depends on the position of the fermi energy.
Since any additional charge affects the flat band voltage and thereby also the threshold voltage,
great care has to be taken during fabrication to avoid the incorporation of charged ions as well as
creation of surface states.
In this Section
1. Flat band conditions
2. Surface depletion
3. Inversion layer formation
4. Accumulation
Reading: Neamen 10.1,10.1.2 pp 419-428
moseband.xls - mosinv.gif
Fig. 6.2.1 Energy band diagram of an MOS capacitor under bias
The electron energy is assumed to be zero deep into the semiconductor. The oxide
has a bandgap energy of 8 eV and the silicon has a bandgap energy of 1.12 eV. A
positive voltage of 1 Volt is applied to the aluminum gate metal. This is an active
figure. The reader is encouraged to open the corresponding spreadsheet and to vary
the bias conditions as well as the MOS parameters to get a feel for the MOS
capacitor.
We will distinguish between four modes of operation: Flat band, Depletion, Inversion and
Accumulation. Flat band conditions exist when no charge is present in the semiconductor so that
the silicon energy band is flat. Initially we will assume that this occurs at zero gate bias. Later we
will consider the actual flat band voltage in more detail. Surface depletion occurs when the holes
in the substrate are pushed away by a positive gate voltage. A more positive voltage also attracts
electrons (the minority carriers) to the surface which form the so-called inversion layer. Under
negative gate bias, one attracts holes from the p-type substrate to the surface, yielding
accumulation.
moseband.xls - modflat.gif
Fig. 6.2.2 Energy band diagram of an MOS capacitor under flatband
condition
The flat band voltage is obtained when the applied gate voltage equals the
workfunction difference between the gate metal and the semiconductor. However if
there is also a fixed charge in the oxide and/or at the oxide-silicon interface, the
expression for the flat band voltage must be modified accordingly.
moseband.xls - mosdep.gif
Fig. 6.2.3 Energy band diagram of an MOS capacitor in depletion mode
moseband.xls - mosdep.gif
Fig. 6.2.4 Energy band diagram of an MOS capacitor in inversion
6.2.4 Accumulation
Accumulation occurs when one applies a voltage which is less than the flatband
voltage. The negative charge on the gate attracts holes from the substrate to the
oxide-semiconductor interface. Only a small of band bending is needed to build up
the accumulation charge so that almost all of the potential variation is within the
oxide. A band diagram of an MOS capacitor in accumulation is shown in the figure
below:
moseband.xls - mosacc.gif
Fig. 6.2.5 Energy band diagram of an MOS capacitor in accumulation
Role in semiconductor physics: the thermal voltage
In semiconductors, the Shockley diode equationthe relationship between the flow of electric
current and the electrostatic potential across a pn junctiondepends on a characteristic voltage
called the thermal voltage, denoted VT. The thermal voltage depends on absolute temperature T
as
where q is the magnitude of the electrical charge on the electron with a value
1.602176565(35)1019 C[1] and k is the Boltzmann's constant, 1.38064852(79)1023 J/K. In
electronvolts, the Boltzmann constant is 8.6173324(78)105 eV/K,[1] making it easy to calculate
that at room temperature ( 300 K), the value of the thermal voltage is approximately
25.85 millivolts 26 mV.[3] The thermal voltage is also important in plasmas and electrolyte
solutions; in both cases it provides a measure of how much the spatial distribution of electrons or
ions is affected by a boundary held at a fixed voltage.[4]