Parasitic Effects Affecting Responsivity of Sub-THz Radiation Detector Built of a MOSFET

Abstract

In this paper, an analysis of parasitic elements that are found in all typical metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) has been performed from a viewpoint of a designer of sub-THz radiation detectors. A simplified model of the extrinsic MOSFET device has been proposed. Typical values of its parameters have been assumed. The authors have also built a model of the MOSFET’s channel (intrinsic device) employing the standard transmission line approach and defining a Z-matrix of the circuit in order to facilitate its integration with the parasitic elements. The full effective circuit model of the MOSFET has been employed to analyze the behavior of the detector when subjected to sub-THz radiation delivered through the Gate and Source pads. Finally, predictions of the responsivity of an example detector built of a typical MOSFET integrated with a patch antenna fabricated on a 40-μm-thick silicon membrane have been compared with measurements of several structures employing MOSFETs of various channel widths. Good agreement between the predictions and the measurements has been demonstrated, which indicates that despite its simplicity, the presented model can significantly help to better understand operation of MOSFET-based detectors and also to use the existing silicon-based manufacturing processes.