Field-Effect Transistors

Chapter 20

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

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.1

Introduction

20.1

Field-effect transistors (FETs) are probably the

simplest form of transistor
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
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.2

An Overview of Field-Effect Transistors

20.2

Many forms, but basic operation is the same

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
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.3

 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

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.4

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

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.5

 Construction
two polarities: n-channel and p-channel

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.6

 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
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.7

 the effect of varying the gate voltage

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.8

 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

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.9

 MOSFET
circuit symbols

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.10

Junction-Gate Field-Effect Transistors

20.4

Sometimes known as a JUGFET

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

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.11

 Construction
two polarities: n-channel and p-channel

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.12

 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.
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.13

 the effect of varying the gate voltage

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.14

 JFET circuit symbols

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.15

FET Characteristics

20.5

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

Output characteristics
consider n-channel devices
usually the drain is more positive than the source
the drain voltage affects the thickness of the channel
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.16

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.17

 FET output characteristics

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.18

 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

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.19

 Normal operating ranges for FETs

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.20

 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

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.21

 Small-signal equivalent circuit of a FET

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

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.22

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
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.23

 FET circuit
symbols:

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.24

FET Amplifiers

20.7

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
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.25

 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)
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.26

 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
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.27

 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
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.28

Other FET Applications

20.8

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
used, for example, in automatic
gain control in radio receivers
Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.29

 A FET as an analogue switch

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.30

 A FET as a logical switch

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.31

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

Storey: Electrical & Electronic Systems Pearson Education Limited 2004

OHT 20.32