Characterization of 1/f noise vs. number of gate stripes in MOS transistors

This paper examines low-frequency 1/f noise (or Bicker noise) in metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) versus number of gate stripes and bias conditions. Simulations using SPICE/Spectre with Cadence models have displayed the dependence of 1/f noise on the number of gate stripes and the bias conditions. Experimental results from a test chip designed and fabricated in a 0.5 μm CMOS process show that 1/f noise is independent of the number of gate stripes in both saturation and linear regions for both P-channel and N-channel devices. The measured results have also shown that 1/f noise is independent of the bias conditions in the saturation region but dependent on the bias conditions in the linear region