1/f Noise and RTS(Random Telegraph Signal) Errors in Sense Amplifiers

The modeling of noise in the frequency domain gives the mean square noise current of a transistor as a function of frequency. RTS in nanoscale devices is easiest modeled as an instantaneous fluctuation in threshold voltage due to the capture and emission of traps. The capture and emission of a single electron at an interface or oxide trap in a nanoscale NMOS transistor is equivalent to a discrete change in threshold voltage. There is a small-finite probability of a large threshold voltage change due the collective capture or emission of multiple active traps. Even in wide devices this noise can contribute a mismatch in sense amplifiers in CMOS integrated circuits which can lead to errors.