Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 September 2012
Random telegraph signals can be seen in the conductivity of submicron MOSFETs due to capture and emission from individual SiO2 defects. They show activated capture times, temperature dependent energy levels as well as a complex scattering behaviour. It is shown how 1/f noise in large MOSFETs arises naturally from the properties of these defects and how models based on this understanding can be constructed. 1/f noise is shown to be a poor tool for the study of the traps due to the loss of information associated with averaging over many active signals.