MOSFET

In <a href="/facts/Electronics/E4JhgISq">electronics</a>, the metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, MOS-FET, MOS FET, or MOS transistor) is a type of <a href="/facts/Field-effect_transistor/TerYC6Nz">field-effect transistor</a> (FET), most commonly fabricated by the <a href="/facts/Thermal_oxidation/FNPWW95h">controlled oxidation</a> of <a href="/facts/Silicon/cgWx0hdr">silicon</a>. It has an insulated gate, the voltage of which determines the conductivity of the device. This ability to change conductivity with the amount of applied voltage can be used for amplifying or switching electronic <a href="/facts/Signal/41YqUJ8c">signals</a>. The term metal–insulator–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MISFET) is almost synonymous with MOSFET. Another near-synonym is insulated-gate field-effect transistor (IGFET).
The main advantage of a MOSFET is that it requires almost no input current to control the load current under steady-state or low-frequency conditions, especially compared to bipolar junction transistors (BJTs). However, at high frequencies or when switching rapidly, a MOSFET may require significant current to charge and discharge its gate capacitance. In an enhancement mode MOSFET, voltage applied to the gate terminal increases the conductivity of the device. In depletion mode transistors, voltage applied at the gate reduces the conductivity.
The "metal" in the name MOSFET is sometimes a <a href="/facts/Misnomer/P4TnsX3H">misnomer</a>, because the gate material can be a layer of <a href="/facts/Polysilicon/NdywIRGW">polysilicon</a> (polycrystalline silicon). Similarly, "oxide" in the name can also be a misnomer, as different dielectric materials are used with the aim of obtaining strong channels with smaller applied voltages.
The MOSFET is by far the most common transistor in <a href="/facts/Digital_circuit/vWgfC29C">digital</a> circuits, as billions may be included in a memory chip or microprocessor. As MOSFETs can be made with either p-type or n-type semiconductors, complementary pairs of MOS transistors can be used to make switching circuits with very low power consumption, in the form of <a href="/facts/CMOS_logic/NJIWYgBl">CMOS logic</a>.

MOSFET open-in-new

MOSFET