Master of Science / Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering / William B. Kuhn / A technique for measuring and characterizing transistor noise is presented. The primary goal of the measurements is to locate the 1/f noise corner for select transistors in Silicon-on-Sapphire processes. Additionally, the magnitude of the background channel noise of each transistor is measured. With this data, integrated circuit (IC) engineers will have a qualitative and quantitative resource for selecting transistors in designs with low noise requirements. During tests, transistor noise behavioral change is investigated over varying channel lengths, device type (N-type and P-type), threshold voltage, and bias voltage levels. Noise improvements for increased channel lengths from minimal, 1.0μm, and 4.0μm are measured. Transistors with medium and high threshold voltages are tested for comparison of their noise performance. The bias voltages are chosen to represent typical design values used in practice, with approximately 400 mV overdrive and a drain-to-source voltage range of 0.5 to 3.0V. The transistors subjected to tests are custom designed in Peregrine’s 0.5μm (FC) and 0.25μm (GC) Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) processes. In order to allow channel current noise to dominate over other circuit noise, the transistors have extraordinarily large aspect ratios (~2500 - 5000). The transistor noise produced is amplified and measured over a frequency range of 1kHz - 100MHz. This range allows the measurement of each device’s low and high frequency noise spectrum and resulting noise corner.

Microelectronics has shaped the world beyond what was thought possible at the time of its advent. One area of current research in this field is on the solid-state Si:P-based quantum computer (QC). In this machine, each qubit requires an individually addressed fast control-pulse for non-adiabatic drive and measure operations. Additionally, it is increasingly becoming important to be able to interface nanoelectronics with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. In this work, I have designed and demonstrated full-custom mixed-mode and full-digital fast control-pulse generators fabricated in a silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) CMOS commercial foundry process ?? a radio-frequency (RF) CMOS technology. These circuits are, fundamentally, fast monostable multivibrators. Initially, after the design specifications were decided upon, I characterized NFET and PFET devices and a n+-diffusion resistor from 500 nm and 250 nm commercial SOS-CMOS processes. Measuring their conductance curves at 300 300 K, 4.2 2 K, and sub-K (30 30 mK base to 1000 1000 mK) showed that they function with desirable behaviour although exhibiting some deviations from their 300 300 K characteristics. The mixed-mode first generation control-pulse generator was demonstrated showing that it produced dwell-time adjustable pulses with 100 100 ps rise-times at 300 K, 4.2 2 K, and sub-K with a power dissipation of 12 12 uW at 100 100 MHz. The full-digital second generation control-pulse generator was demonstrated showing accurately adjustable dwell-times settable via a control-word streamed synchronously to a shift-register. The design was based on a ripple-counter with provisions for internal or external clocking. This research has demonstrated that SOS-CMOS technology is highly feasible for the fabrication of control microelectronics for a Si:P-based QC. I have demonstrated full-custom SOS-CMOS mixed-mode and full-digital control circuits at 300 300 K, 4.2 2 K, and sub-K which suitable for qubit control.

Microelectronics has shaped the world beyond what was thought possible at the time of its advent. One area of current research in this field is on the solid-state Si:P-based quantum computer (QC). In this machine, each qubit requires an individually addressed fast control-pulse for non-adiabatic drive and measure operations. Additionally, it is increasingly becoming important to be able to interface nanoelectronics with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. In this work, I have designed and demonstrated full-custom mixed-mode and full-digital fast control-pulse generators fabricated in a silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) CMOS commercial foundry process ?? a radio-frequency (RF) CMOS technology. These circuits are, fundamentally, fast monostable multivibrators. Initially, after the design specifications were decided upon, I characterized NFET and PFET devices and a n+-diffusion resistor from 500 nm and 250 nm commercial SOS-CMOS processes. Measuring their conductance curves at 300 300 K, 4.2 2 K, and sub-K (30 30 mK base to 1000 1000 mK) showed that they function with desirable behaviour although exhibiting some deviations from their 300 300 K characteristics. The mixed-mode first generation control-pulse generator was demonstrated showing that it produced dwell-time adjustable pulses with 100 100 ps rise-times at 300 K, 4.2 2 K, and sub-K with a power dissipation of 12 12 uW at 100 100 MHz. The full-digital second generation control-pulse generator was demonstrated showing accurately adjustable dwell-times settable via a control-word streamed synchronously to a shift-register. The design was based on a ripple-counter with provisions for internal or external clocking. This research has demonstrated that SOS-CMOS technology is highly feasible for the fabrication of control microelectronics for a Si:P-based QC. I have demonstrated full-custom SOS-CMOS mixed-mode and full-digital control circuits at 300 300 K, 4.2 2 K, and sub-K which suitable for qubit control.