A Polysilicon Field Effect Transistor Pressure Sensor of Thin Nitride Membrane Choking Effect of Right After Turn-on for Stress Sensitivity Improvement

We report a polysilicon active area membrane field effect transistor (PSAFET) pressure sensor for low stress deflection of membrane. The PSAFET was produced in conventional FET semiconductor fabrication and backside wet etching. The PSAFET located at the front side measured pressure change using 300 nm thin-nitride membrane when a membrane was slightly strained by the small deflection of membrane shape from backside with any physical force. The PSAFET showed high sensitivity around threshold voltage, because threshold voltage variation was composed of fractional function form in sensitivity equation of current variation. When gate voltage was biased close to threshold voltage, a fractional function form had infinite value at $V_{tn}$, which increased the current variation of sensitivity. Threshold voltage effect was dominant right after the PSAFET was turned on. Narrow transistor channel established by small current flow was choked because electron could barely cross drain-source electrodes. When gate voltage was far from threshold voltage, threshold voltage effect converged to zero in fractional form of threshold voltage variations and drain current change was mostly determined by mobility changes. As the PSAFET fabrication was compatible with a polysilicon FET in CMOS fabrication, it could be adapted in low pressure sensor and bio molecular sensor.