Assessment of the possibility to couple a photo sensor to a Floating-gate MOS transistor

This paper presents preliminary results from experiments directed to demonstrate novel approximations that can lead to new applications for Floating-gate MOS transistors (FGMOS). This device began to be used in the ′60s in digital and analog configurations in a variety of reliable applications, either supported on the non-volatile or volatile property of this transistor. This is achieved by injecting/extracting charge to/from the floating gate through electrical mechanisms like Fowler-Nordheim Tunneling (FNT) or Channel Hot Electrons (CHE). This work shows that the same as with the mentioned mechanisms, I–V characteristics can also be modulated with physical rather than electrical phenomena, like the photonic one, among others. A simple amplifier configuration was used, using discrete components like a small solar cells module and an integrated photo sensor. After measurement of the corresponding transfer curve of the amplifier, a curve shift was obtained thanks to the VOC generated in the discrete device after illumination of the components, giving support to the hypothesis considered in this work, which can lead to a research work where integrated FGMOS transistors can be coupled to an integrated photo sensor, using a standard CMOS technology.