EXPERIMENT NO 1:

AIM: To plot the transfer and Output characteristics of MOSFET and to find the transconductance
and drain resistance.

s.no Particulars Range Quantity

1 N -MOSFET ( IRF 540 ) 1

2 Milliammeter 0-20/200mA 1

3 Multimeter 3 ¾ Digit Display 2

4 Regulated power supply 0-15V 2

5 Connecting Wires

CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
BRIEF THEORY:

MOSFETS conduct through a conductive region or path called “the channel”. We can make this
conductive channel wider or smaller by applying a suitable gate potential. An electric field induced
around the gate terminal by the application of this gate voltage affects the electrical characteristics
of the channel, thus the name field-effect transistor.

In other words, we can control how the mosfet operates by creating or “enhancing” its conductive
channel between the source and drain regions producing a type of mosfet commonly called an n-
channel Enhancement-mode MOSFET, which simply means that unless we bias them positively on
the gate (negatively for the p-channel), no channel current will flow.

A common symbol for the n-channel MOS transistor is shown in Fig. 1(a). Of the terminals
shown, the ones we will focus on are the source, the drain, and the gate. In the transistor we will be
working with in this lab, the fourth terminal, labeled body in Fig. 1(a), is not accessible externally;
rather, it is internally connected to the source, as shown by the broken line. For simplicity, then,
we will use the symbol shown in Fig. 1 (b).

A Typical MOSFET Transistor

Enhancement n-channel MOSFET

We can see that for the n-channel MOSFET (NMOS) above the substrate semiconductor material
is p-type, while the source and drain electrodes are n-type. The supply voltage will be positive.
Biasing the gate terminal positive attracts electrons within the p-type semiconductor substrate
under the gate region towards it.

This overabundance of free electrons within the p-type substrate causes a conductive channel to
appear or grow as the electrical properties of the p-type region invert, effectively changing the p-
type substrate into a n-type material allowing channel current to flow.

The reverse is also true for the p-channel MOSFET (PMOS), where a negative gate potential
causes a build of holes under the gate region as they are attracted to the electrons on the outer side
of the metal gate electrode. The result is that the n-type substrate creates a p-type conductive
channel.

So for our n-type MOS transistor, the more positive potential we put on the gate the greater the
build-up of electrons around the gate region and the wider the conductive channel becomes. This
enhances the electron flow through the channel allowing more channel current to flow from drain
.to source leading to the name of Enhancement MOSFET.

N-channel Enhancement MOSFET V-I Characteristics

To study the MOS transistor, we can connect two external voltage sources to it, as shown in Fig. 2.
These provide the drain-source voltage VDS and the gate-source voltage VGS. The voltage VDS
may cause a drain-to-source current IDs as shown, provided that there is a path for this current from
the drain (through the device) to the source. Whether such a path exists or not depends on the value
of VGS. For small values of VGS, no such path is established within the device, and IDs is zero.
The device then looks like an open circuit between the drain and the source. For a sufficiently high
VGS, an internal current path, called a channel, is established between the drain and the
source.Now a current IDs can flow. The precise value of VGS determines how easy it is for the
channel to conduct the current; the higher the VGS value, the easier such conduction is and the
larger the value of IDs, other things being equal. For a given VGS, the value of IDs will also depend
on VDS and will tend to increase with the latter.

The characteristics of the MOS conductive channel can be thought of as a variable resistor that is
controlled by the gate. The amount of drain current that flows through this n-channel therefore
depends on the gate-source voltage and one of the many measurements we can take using a mosfet
is to plot a transfer characteristics graph to show the i-v relationship between the drain current and
the gate voltage as shown.
With a fixed VDS drain-source voltage connected across the eMOSFET we can plot the values of
drain current, ID with varying values of VGS to obtain a graph of the mosfets forward DC
characteristics. These characteristics give the transconductance, gm of the transistor.

This transconductance relates the output current to the input voltage representing the gain of the
transistor. The slope of the transconductance curve at any point along it is therefore given as:
gm = ID/VGS for a constant value of VDS.

So for example, assume a MOS transistor passes a drain current of 2mA when VGS = 3v and a
drain current of 14mA when VGS = 7v. Then:

This ratio is called the transistors static or DC transconductance which is short for “transfer
conductance” and is given the unit of Siemens (S), as its amps per volt. Voltage gain of a mosfet
amplifier is directly proportional to the transconductance and to the value of the drain resistor.

At VGS = 0, no current flows through the MOS transistors channel because the field effect around
the gate is insufficient to create or “open” the n-type channel. Then the transistor is in its cut-off
region acting as an open switch. In other words, with zero gate voltage applied the n-channel
eMOSFET is said to be normally-off and this “OFF” condition is represented by the broken
channel line in the eMOSFET symbol (unlike the depletion types that have a continuous channel
line).

As we now gradually increase the positive gate-source voltage VGS , the field effect begins to
enhance the channel regions conductivity and there becomes a point where the channel starts to to
conduct. This point is known as the threshold voltage VTH. As we increase VGS more positive, the
conductive channel becomes wider (less resistance) with the amount of drain current, ID increases
as a result. Remember that the gate never conducts any current as its electrical isolated from the
channel giving a mosfet amplifier an extremely high input impedance.
Therefore the n-channel enhancement mosfet will be in its cut-off mode when the gate-source
voltage, VGS is less than its threshold voltage level, VTH and its channel conducts or saturates when
VGS is above this threshold level. When the eMOS transistor is operating in the saturation region
the drain current, ID is given by:

eMOSFET Drain Current

Note that the values of k (conduction parameter) and VTH (threshold voltage) vary from one
eMOSFET to the next and cannot be physically changed as they are specific specification of the
material and device geometry which are in-built during the fabrication of the transistor.

The static transfer characteristics curve on the right is generally parabolic (square law) in shape
and then linear. The increase in drain current, ID for a given increase in gate-source voltage, VGS
determines the slope or gradient of the curve for constant values of VDS.

A summary of the three different operating regions and the associated drain current in each is
presented below for the NMOS. The equations below also hold for the PMOS transistor if the
polarity of all voltages is flipped. (Note: The threshold voltage, Vtp, for a PMOS is negative.)

NMOS

Where
Procedure:
Transfer Characteristics
1. Check the components/equipments of their correctness
2. Connection are made as shown in fig.
3. Initially both RPS-1 and RPS-2 are kept at zero output position.
4. By varying the RPS-2, set VDS around 5V
5. Now increase VGS by varying the RPS-1 gradually and note down the corresponding drain
current.
6. Repeat the steps 4 and 5 for some other VDS value
7. Draw the graph between VGS and ID

Output Characteristics
1. Check the components/equipments of their correctness
2. Connection are made as shown in fig.
3. Both RPS-1 and RPS-2 should be in zero output position and supply switch is ON
4. By varying RPS-1, set VGS to some value (slightly greater than the Threshold voltage
determined from the transfer characteristics)
5. Now increase the VDS by varying the RPS-2 gradually and note down the corresponding drain
current.
6. Repeat the steps 4 and 5 for some other VGS value.
7. Graph between VDS Vs ID is plotted

OBSERVATION TABLES

TRANSFER CHARACTERISTICS

FOR VDS=_________

S.NO VGS ID
1
2
3
4

5
6
7
8
9
10
FOR VDS=_________

S.NO VGS ID
1

6
7
8
9
10

OUTPUT/DRAIN CHARACTERISTICS

FOR VGS=________

S.NO VDS ID
1
2
3
4

5
6
7
8
9
10
FOR VGS=__________

S.NO VDS ID
1
2
3
4

5
6
7
8
9
10

FOR VGS=_______

S.NO VDS ID
1
2
3
4

5
6
7
8
9
10
FOR VGS=________

S.NO VDS ID
1
2
3
4

5
6
7
8
9
10

EXPECTED GRAPH

TRANSFER CHARACTERISTICS
DRAIN/OUTPUT CHARACTERISTICS

Calculations:
Transconductance gm = ∆ID / ∆VGS mho

Results:

The transconductance gm = ______________ mho

Conclusion: