Inversion Layer Quantization Impact on the Interpretation of 1/f Noise in Deep Submicron CMOS Transistors

This paper discusses the impact of inversion layer quantization on the interpretation of the 1/f noise characteristics in deep submicron CMOS transistors. In order to describe the strong gate voltage dependence of the input-referred noise spectral density, a model will be developed which consistently takes account of inversion layer quantization. The only adjustable parameter is the density of near interface oxide traps, which sets the level of the flat-band voltage noise spectral density in weak inversion. It is shown that a good agreement with measured data obtained on 0.13 µm CMOS transistors is found both for n– and p-channel devices. Finally, the implications with respect to practical noise modeling will be discussed.