Field-Effect Transistors

Introduction An Overview of Field-Effect Transistors Insulated-Gate Field-Effect Transistors Junction-Gate Field-Effect Transistors FET Characteristics Summary of FET Characteristics FET Amplifiers Other FET Applications

Chapter 20

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Introduction
Field-effect transistors (FETs) are probably the simplest form of transistor

20.1

widely used in both analogue and digital applications they are characterised by a very high input resistance and small physical size, and they can be used to form circuits with a low power consumption they are widely used in very large-scale integration two basic forms:
insulated gate FETs junction gate FETs
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An Overview of Field-Effect Transistors

Many forms, but basic operation is the same

20.2

a voltage on a control input produces an electric field that affects the current between two other terminals when considering amplifiers we looked at a circuit using a control device a FET is a suitable control device
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 Notation
FETs are 3 terminal devices
drain (d) source (s) gate(g)

the gate is the control input diagram illustrates the notation used for labelling voltages and currents

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Insulated-Gate Field-Effect Transistors

20.3

Such devices are sometimes called IGFETs (insulated-gate field-effect transistors) or sometimes MOSFETs (metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors) Digital circuits constructed using these devices are usually described as using MOS technology Here we will describe them as MOSFETs

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 Construction
two polarities: n-channel and p-channel

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 Operation
gate volt controls the thickness of the channel consider an n-channel device making the gate more positive attracts electrons to the gate and makes the gate region thicker reducing the resistance of the channel. The channel is said to be enhanced making the gate more negative repels electrons from the gate and makes the gate region thinner increasing the resistance of the channel. The channel is said to be depleted
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 the effect of varying the gate voltage

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 gates as described above are termed DepletionEnhancement MOSFETs or simply DE MOSFETs some MOSFETs are constructed so that in the absence of any gate voltage there is no channel
such devices can be operated in an enhancement mode, but not in a depletion mode (since there is no channel to deplete) these are called Enhancement MOSFETs

both forms of MOSFET are available as either n-channel or p-channel devices

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 MOSFET circuit symbols

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Junction-Gate Field-Effect Transistors

Sometimes known as a JUGFET

20.4

Here we will use another common name the JFET Here the insulated gate of a MOSFET is replaced with a reverse-biased pn junction Since the gate junction is always reverse-biased no current flows into the gate and it acts as if it were insulated

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 Construction
two polarities: n-channel and p-channel

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 Operation
the reverse-biased gate junction produced a depletion layer in the region of the channel the gate volt controls the thickness of the depletion layer and hence the thickness of the channel consider an n-channel device
the gate will always be negative with respect to the source to keep the junction between the gate and the channel reversebiased making the gate more negative increases the thickness of the depletion layer, reducing the width of the channel increasing the resistance of the channel.
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 the effect of varying the gate voltage

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 JFET circuit symbols

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FET Characteristics
While MOSFETs and JFETs operate in different ways, their characteristics are quite similar Input characteristics
in both MOSFETs and JFETs the gate is effectively insulated from the remainder of the device

20.5

Output characteristics
consider n-channel devices usually the drain is more positive than the source the drain voltage affects the thickness of the channel
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 FET output characteristics

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 Transfer characteristics
similar shape for all forms of FET but with a different offset not a linear response, but over a small region might be considered to approximate a linear response

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 Normal operating ranges for FETs

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 When operating about its operating point we can describe the transfer characteristic by the change in output that is caused by a certain change in the input
this corresponds to the slope of the earlier curves this quantity has units of current/voltage, which is the reciprocal of resistance (this is conductance) since this quantity described the transfer characteristics it is called the transconductance, gm Note:
gm ID VGS gm ID VGS

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 Small-signal equivalent circuit of a FET

models the behaviour of the device for small variations of the input about the operating point

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Summary of FET Characteristics

20.6

FETS have three terminals: drain, source and gate The gate is the control input Two polarities of device: n-channel and p-channel Two main forms of FET: MOSFET and JFET

In each case the drain current is controlled by the voltage applied to the gate with respect to the source
Behaviour is characterised by the transconductance

The operating point differs between devices

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 FET circuit symbols:

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FET Amplifiers
A simple DE MOSFET amplifier
RG is used to bias the gate at its correct operating point (which for a DE MOSFET is 0 V) C is a coupling capacitor and is used to couple the AC signal while preventing externals circuits from affecting the bias this is an AC-coupled amplifier
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20.7

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 AC-coupled amplifier
input resistance equal to RG output resistance approximately equal to RD gain approximately gmRD (the minus sign shows that this is an inverting amplifier) C produced a low-frequency cut-off at a frequency fc given by
fc 1 2CR

where R is the input resistance of the amplifier (which in this case is equal to RG)
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 Negative feedback amplifier

reduces problems of variability of active components voltage across Rs is proportional to drain current, which is directly proportional to the output voltage this voltage is subtracted from input voltage to gate hence negative feedback
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 Source follower
similar to earlier circuit, but output is now taken from the source feedback causes the source to follow the input voltage produces a unity-gain amplifier also called a source follower
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Other FET Applications

A voltage controlled attenuator
for small drain-to-source voltages FETs resemble voltage-controlled resistors the gate voltage VG is used to control this resistance and hence the gain of the potential divider

20.8

used, for example, in automatic gain control in radio receivers

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 A FET as an analogue switch

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 A FET as a logical switch

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Key Points
FETs are widely used in both analogue and digital circuits They have high input resistance and small physical size There are two basic forms of FET: MOSFETs and JFETs MOSFETs may be divided into DE and Enhancement types In each case the gate voltage controls the current from the drain to the source The characteristics of the various forms of FET are similar except that they require different bias voltages The use of coupling capacitors prevents the amplification of DC and produced AC amplifiers FETs can be used to produce various forms of amplifier and a range of other circuit applications
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