Single-transistor latch in SOI MOSFETs

Abstract

A single-transistor latch phenomenon observed in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs is reported. This latch effect, which occurs at high drain biases, is an extreme case of floating-body effects which are present in SOI MOSFETs. The floating body results in positive feedback between the impact ionization current, body-to-source diode forward bias, and transistor currents. At large drain voltages, this positive feedback can maintain a high-drain-to-source current even when the MOS gate is biased well below its threshold voltage.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>