Lecture 5a

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits

Dr. Muhammad Anis Chaudhary

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Current-Voltage Characteristics

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Circuit Symbol

• the circuit symbols for an n-channel enhancement type MOSFET are shown here

• the two vertical lines represent the gate and the channel

• the spacing between the two lines indicate that the gate electrode is insulated from the substrate

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Circuit Symbol

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 1 of 17
 •

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Circuit Symbol

• the arrow indicates the polarity of the substrate (p-type) and the channel (n-type)

• the arrow points from the p-type substrate to the n-type channel

• thus the arrow indicates that this is an n-channel MOSFET

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Circuit Symbol

• when it is required to designate one terminal as the source and the other as the drain, this symbol
is more convenient

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 2 of 17
 • here the arrow head is placed at the source terminal

• and the arrowhead points in the direction of current flow

• recall that for an n-channel MOSFET, electrons flow from the source to the drain

• =⇒ current flows from the drain to the source

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Circuit Symbol

• when the source is connected to the body of the device,

• a simplified circuit symbol can be used

Current-Voltage Characteristics
The iD − vDS Characteristics

Current-Voltage Characteristics
The iD − vDS Characteristics

• for an NMOS transistor, there are three possible regions of operation

– the cutoff region

– the triode region
– the saturation region

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 3 of 17
 •

Current-Voltage Characteristics

Current-Voltage Characteristics

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 4 of 17
Current-Voltage Characteristics
The iD − vDS Characteristics

• iD − vDS characteristic for the NMOS transistor with different vGS settings is shown in fig

Current-Voltage Characteristics
The iD − vDS Characteristics

• Note that the boundary between the triode and the saturation regions, can be given as

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 5 of 17
 • iD = 12 kn′ W
v2DS


L

– ∵iD = 12 kn′ W
v2OV and


L
– vOV = vDS at the start of saturation region

Current-Voltage Characteristics
The iD − vGS Characteristics

Current-Voltage Characteristics
The iD − vGS Characteristics

• A MOSFET operating in the saturation region, can be used to design an amplifier

• in saturation, the drain current is a constant (i.e. doesnot change whith vDS )

• and is determined by vGS (or vOV ) and is independent of vDS

• =⇒ the MOSFET operates as a constant-current source, whose current is determined by vGS (or
vOV )

• thus the MOSFET is a voltage controlled current source with the control relationship given as

• iD = 21 kn′ WL (vGS −Vtn )2 or iD = 12 kn′ WL v2OV

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 6 of 17
Current-Voltage Characteristics
The iD − vGS Characteristics

• the iD − vGS characteristics of an NMOS transistor operating in saturation region can be given
as

• thus the MOSFET in the saturation region acts as a voltage-controlled current source

Current-Voltage Characteristics
The iD − vGS Characteristics

• the MOSFET in the saturation region acts as

– a voltage-controlled current source and can be modeled as

• this equivalent circuit is known as large signal equivalent circuit model

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 7 of 17
Current-Voltage Characteristics
The iD − vGS Characteristics

• Note that the current source is ideal i.e. it has an infinite output resistance

• =⇒ which represents that iD is independent of vDS in saturation region.

• In practice, this output resistance is finite because of channel-length modulation.

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

• Uptill now, we have assumed that in saturation, iD is independent of vDS

– iD = 12 kn′ WL (vGS −Vtn )2

• i.e. a change ∆vDS in the drain to source voltage causes a zero change in iD

• =⇒ that the incremental resistance looking into the drain of a saturated MOSFET is infinite

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 8 of 17
Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

• this is not true in practice

• As vDS is increased, the channel pinch-off point is

– moved slightly avay from the drain, towards the source.

• Note that the voltage across the channel still remains constant at vOV

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

• Note that the voltage across the channel still remains constant at vOV ,

– while the additional voltage applied to the drain appears as a voltage across
– the depletion region between the end of the channel and the drain

• so the channel length is now reduced from L to L − ∆L

• and this phenomenon is called channel-length modulation

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 9 of 17
Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

• As iD is inversely proportional to the channel length

– iD = 12 kn′ WL (vGS −Vtn )2 for vDS = vOV

• =⇒ iD increases with vDS as L decreases with vDS because of channel-length modulation

• To account for the dependance of iD on vDS in saturation,

– we replace L in the above equation by L − ∆L

• =⇒ iD = 21 kn′ L−∆L
W
(vGS −Vtn )2

– multiply and divide by L

– iD = 21 kn′ WL L−∆L
L
(vGS −Vtn )2

−1
– iD = 21 kn′ WL L−∆L
L (vGS −Vtn )2

−1
– iD = 12 kn′ WL 1 − ∆L
L (vGS −Vtn )2

−1
• iD = 12 kn′ WL (vGS −Vtn )2 1 − ∆L
L

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

−1
• iD = 12 kn′ WL (vGS −Vtn )2 1 − ∆L
L
∆L
• assuming ∆L ≪ L =⇒ L ≪1

– As for |x| ≪ 1, (1 ± x)n ≈ 1 ± nx

−1
– =⇒ 1 − ∆L L ≈ 1 − (−1) ∆L ∆L
L = 1+ L

• iD = 12 kn′ WL (vGS −Vtn )2 1 + ∆L

L

• as ∆L increases by increasing vDS =⇒ ∆L ∝ vDS

– let the proportionality constant be λ ′

λ ′ vDS
– =⇒ ∆L = λ ′ vDS and ∆L
L = L = λ vDS

• =⇒ iD = 12 kn′ WL (vGS −Vtn )2 (1 + λ vDS )

• where λ is a device parameter having the units of V −1

• the value of λ depends on the process technology and on the channel length L

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 10 of 17
Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation
• because of this channel-length modulation,

– there is a linear dependence of iD on vDS in the saturation region

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

•
• if these straight lines are extrapolated,

– they all intersect the vDS axis at the same point vDS = −VA ,
1
– where VA is a positive voltage called Early voltage,VA = λ

• VA is a device parameter. its value is dependent on the process and the channel length.

– i.e. VA = VA′ L where VA′ is entirely process technology dependent

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 11 of 17
Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

• thus becuase of the channel length modualation

– value of iD depends on vDS , in the saturation region

• so for a given vGS , a change ∆vDS

– =⇒ corresponding change ∆iD in the drain current iD

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

• =⇒ the output resistance of the current source representing iD in saturation

– is no longer infinite. but is a finite value represented by ro

•
h i−1
∂ iD
• where ro = ∂ vDS v =constant
GS

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 12 of 17
Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation
h i−1
∂ iD
• ro = ∂ vDS v constant
GS

h n oi−1
• ro = ∂
∂ vDS
1 ′W
2 kn L (vGS −Vtn )2 (1 + λ vDS )
vGS constant
h i−1
1 ′W 2 ∂
• ro = 2 kn L (vGS −Vtn ) ∂ vDS (1 + λ vDS )
h i−1
• ro = 1 ′W
2 kn L (vGS −Vtn )2 (0 + λ (1))
h i−1
• ro = 1 ′W
2 kn L (vGS −Vtn )2 λ
h i−1
• ro = 1
λ
1 ′W
2 kn L (vGS −Vtn ) 2
= 1
λ [ID ]−1

• ro = 1
λ ID = VIDA

• where ID is the drain current without channel-length modulation effect i.e. ID = 12 kn′ WL (vGS −Vtn )2

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Finite Output Resistance in Saturation

• ro = 1
λ ID = VIDA
1
• =⇒ ro ∝ ID

• thus the large-signal equivalent circuit model incorporating the channel-length modulation i.e.
ro can be given as

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Characteristics of the p-Channel MOSFET

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Current-Voltage Characteristics
Characteristics of the p-Channel MOSFET

• the p-channel enhancement type MOSFET, has the circuit symbol of

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Characteristics of the p-Channel MOSFET

• the arrow indicates that the channel is p-type (tail of arrow)

• while the substrate is n-type (head of arrow)

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Current-Voltage Characteristics
Characteristics of the p-Channel MOSFET

• this symbol is utilized when it is required to designate the source terminal

• the arrow head is at the source and its direction indicates the direction of current flow

• Note that in a p-channel MOSFET holes flow from source to the drain

• =⇒ current flows from source to drain

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Characteristics of the p-Channel MOSFET

• for the case where the source is connected to the substrate,

• this simplified symbol is used

Current-Voltage Characteristics

• the regions of operation of the PMOS transistor are

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Current-Voltage Characteristics

Current-Voltage Characteristics
Characteristics of the p-Channel MOSFET

• just like the NMOS transistor, the PMOS device also suffers from Channel-length modulation
effect.
• thus the saturation region expression for iD can be given as

2
– iD = 12 k′p W


L vSG − Vt p (1 + |λ | vSD )

EE-215 Electronic Devices and Circuits, Dr. M Anis Ch, Lecture 5a Page 16 of 17
 – and λ = V1A
– where λ and VA for the PMOS transistor are negative quantities

• Note that for a given CMOS fabrication process, in general

– λn ̸= λ p and VAn ̸= VAp

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