INTEGRATED CIRCUIT AMPLIFIER DEVICE AND METHOD USING FET TUNNELING GATE CURRENT

Abstract

An integrated circuit amplifier includes, in an exemplary embodiment, a first field effect transistor (FET) device configured as a source follower and a second FET device configured as a tunneling gate FET, the tunneling gate FET coupled to the source follower. The tunneling gate FET is further configured so as to set a transconductance of the amplifier and the source follower is configured so as to set an output conductance of the amplifier.

Description

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices, and, more particularly, to an integrated circuit amplifier device and method utilizing FET tunneling gate current.

Amplifiers are commonly used in RF and analog applications. For a field effect transistor (FET) amplifier, a high gain associated therewith generally results from a device having a large gate width. The gain of an FET amplifier is given by the expression: Gain=G_m/G_ds  (eq. 1);

wherein G_m and G_ds are, respectively, the transconductance and output conductance of the FET. In turn, the transconductance, G_m, of the FET is given by the expression: G_m=d(I_D)/d(V_g) at a given value of V_ds  (eq. 2);

while the output conductance of the FET is given by the expression: G_ds=d(I_D)/d(V_ds) at a given value of V_g  (eq. 3).

The transconductance of an FET is strongly dependent upon the channel length of the device (i.e., the shorter the channel length, the greater the transconductance of the FET). However, given certain technologies having minimum channel lengths associated therewith, the value of G_m cannot be arbitrarily increased. Moreover, the peak value of transconductance occurs at a specific gate voltage for a minimum channel length and, as such, the FET amplifier would need to be designed for that specific gate voltage to take advantage of the peak G_m. Thus, the voltage options for the design of a conventional FET amplifier are limited in this sense. Furthermore, because a high output voltage (V_ds) is desired, and since the input voltage V_gs could be at low overdrive (or at 0.5 V_ds), both of these conditions can lead to hot carrier degradation. FIG. 1 is a graph that illustrates the degradation of amplification factor due to hot carrier effects.

Since G_m and G_ds for a conventional FET amplifier are not decoupled from each other, but rather are both dependent upon the design of a given FET, each parameter cannot be independently optimized with respect to one another for gain purposes (i.e., increasing G_m while also decreasing G_ds for the same device). Still a further consideration is the fact that the frequency response of the amplifier is limited by the gate oxide capacitance, which increases as CMOS scaling is intensified. The increase of gain is again coupled with optimization of the frequency response, since the two parameters are controlled by the same FET with an ultra-thin gate oxide.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an integrated circuit amplifier device in which the various gain parameters are capable of independent optimization with respect to one another.

SUMMARY

The foregoing discussed drawbacks and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by an integrated circuit amplifier including, in an exemplary embodiment, a first field effect transistor (FET) device configured as a source follower and a second FET device configured as a tunneling gate FET, the tunneling gate FET coupled to the source follower. The tunneling gate FET is further configured so as to set a transconductance of the amplifier and the source follower is configured so as to set an output conductance of the amplifier.

In another embodiment, an integrated circuit differential amplifier includes a first field effect transistor (FET) device configured as a first source follower, a second FET device configured as a second source follower, a third FET device configured as a first tunneling gate FET, the first tunneling gate FET coupled between the first source follower and the second source follower, and a fourth FET device configured as a second tunneling gate FET, the second tunneling gate FET coupled between the first source follower and the second source follower. The first and second tunneling gate FETs are further configured so as to set a transconductance of the differential amplifier, and the first and second source followers are configured so as to set an output conductance of the differential amplifier.

In still another embodiment, a method for implementing an integrated circuit amplifier comprises configuring a first field effect transistor (FET) device as a source follower, and configuring a second FET device as a tunneling gate FET coupled to the source follower. The tunneling gate FET is further configured so as to set a transconductance of the amplifier, and the source follower is configured so as to set an output conductance of the amplifier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the exemplary drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures:

FIG. 1 is a prior art graph that illustrates the degradation of amplification factor due to hot carrier effects;

FIG. 2 is a graph that illustrates gate tunneling current characteristics of an FET as function of oxide thickness for different values of gate voltage;

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating transconductance of the tunneling FET, as a function of gate voltage, for different oxide thicknesses;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a novel tunneling amplifier circuit that includes a first FET device configured as a source follower, in which the source terminal thereof is coupled to the gate terminal of a second device configured as a tunneling FET, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the output conductance of the source follower as function of gate-to-source voltage at a channel length of 1.0 μm, for different values of drain-to-source voltage;

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the output conductance of the source follower as a function of channel length (in microns) at a gate-to-source voltage of 0.5 volts, for different values of drain-to-source voltage;

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the gain of tunneling amplifier as a function of channel length of the source follower, for a first case of selected device parameters;

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the −3 dB upper frequency point as a function of channel length of the source follower, for the first case of selected device parameters;

FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the gain of tunneling amplifier as a function of channel length of the source follower, for a second case of selected device parameters;

FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating the −3 dB upper frequency point as a function of channel length of the source follower, for the second case of selected device parameters;

FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating the gain of tunneling amplifier as a function of channel length of the source follower, for a third case of selected device parameters;

FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating the −3 dB upper frequency point as a function of channel length of the source follower, for the third case of selected device parameters;

FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating the gain of tunneling amplifier as a function of channel length of the source follower, for a fourth case of selected device parameters;

FIG. 14 is a graph illustrating the −3 dB upper frequency point as a function of channel length of the source follower, for the fourth case of selected device parameters; and

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a differential version of a tunneling amplifier circuit, in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein is an integrated circuit amplifier device and method that independently optimizes the gain parameters and frequency response of an FET device by utilizing the highly non-linear relationship between gate tunneling current and gate voltage for ultra-thin gate oxides. Briefly stated, a two-terminal amplifier device is configured in which an ultra-thin gate oxide FET device (e.g., having a thickness of about 0.8 nm to about 2.2 nm) used to control transconductance, in combination with a thick oxide source follower (e.g., having a thickness of about 5.0 nm to about 7.0 nm) for controlling the output conductance of the amplifier device.

A maximum tunneling current for the ultra-thin gate oxide FET is obtained with the source and drain terminals thereof at ground, with the channel inverted, and with V_g biased above threshold voltage (V_t). For this two-terminal device, the gate thereof could be biased at a DC voltage, with a small signal superimposed thereon for amplification. For such a tunneling gate amplifier (TGA), there are no hot carrier effects, and no degradation under normal conditions. With the tunneling gate amplifier device used in combination with a thick gate oxide source follower, sufficient gain can be achieved with a good frequency bandwidth, and the device dimensions can be properly chosen to achieve optimum performance and reliability. Thereby, the device parameters G_m, G_ds, gain and frequency response may be independently optimized.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a graph that illustrates gate tunneling current characteristics of an FET as function of oxide thickness (at 25° C.), for different values of gate voltage. The source, drain and substrate of the FET are all at ground potential. The transconductance, G_m, of the tunneling FET, given in A/(V·μm²) and calculated from (eq. 2), is illustrated in FIG. 3 as a function of gate voltage at 25° C. for different oxide thicknesses.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a novel tunneling amplifier circuit 100 that includes a first FET device 102 configured as a source follower, in which the source terminal thereof is coupled to the gate terminal of a second FET device 104 configured as a tunneling FET. Thus configured, the transconductance of the tunneling device 104 effectively sets the transconductance of the circuit. The resultant current change in the tunneling device 104 now appears at the drain of the source follower 102. Furthermore, this current can be pulled through a load 106 (e.g., a traditional load or another tunneling device, if a low gain is desired) to create an amplified voltage output signal. The load 106 is connected to a supply voltage (VS₁) 110. In addition, a current source 108 may be configured in parallel with the tunneling FET 104 for increasing the total current into the source follower 102, allowing for more optimization of the circuit gain.

Since the tunneling structure 104 is essentially a leaky capacitor, the gain of the amplifier circuit 100 will have a frequency response influenced by the tunneling structure. At DC and low frequencies, the gain should be a function of the transconductance G_m of the tunneling structure, as defined above. The −3 dB point of the rollover in gain should occur at ½_TTR_oC_T, wherein R_o is the output resistance of the NFET source follower 102 and CT is the capacitance of the tunneling FET 104. The voltage amplification of the circuit 100 is provided between the input (In) and output (Out) voltages.

The load circuit 106 may be either another tunneling structure or a traditional current source. Once again, the output conductance of the NFET source follower 102 must be significantly lower than the transconductance of the tunneling device 104 to allow the circuit 100 to have gain. In order to reduce output conductance of the source follower 102 (and thus increase the gain of the circuit 100), a thick oxide device (e.g., 5.2 nm) is utilized for the source follower 102. FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the output conductance G_ds of the source follower 102 as function of gate-to-source voltage (V_gs) at a channel length of 1.0 μm, for different values of drain-to-source voltage (V_ds). FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the output conductance of the source follower 102 as a function of channel length (in microns) at a gate-to-source voltage V_gs=0.5 volts, for different values of drain-to-source voltage (V_ds).

In order to optimize the design of the source follower 102, the tunneling FET 104, and the current source 108 each of the design parameters are considered in the following equations:

Tunneling FET

The gate tunneling current density, I_gd, of the tunneling FET 104 is given by: Log(I_gd)=AN₂+[AN₁·T_ox]  (eq. 4);

wherein the gate current density I_gd is expressed in units of amperes per square micron (A/μm²), and T_ox is the gate oxide thickness in nanometers (nm). AN₁ and AN₂ are parameters that are functions of the gate voltage V_g. AN₁ and AN₂ may in turn be expressed as follows: AN₁=[0.673·Log(V_g)]−9.917  (eq. 5); AN₂=−9.685·exp[−1.159·V_g]  (eq. 6).

The complete expression of the NFET tunneling gate current density (in A/μm²) as function of temperature, oxide thickness and gate voltage is: Log(I_gd)=AN₂+[AN₁·T_ox]+{ΔH[(1/T₁)−(1/T₂)]/K}  (eq. 7);

wherein K is Bolztman's constant, T₁ is 298° K. (25° C.), T₂ is the application temperature in ° K., and ΔH is the activation energy which is equal to 0.017 eV. The tunneling gate current I_g (in Amperes) is given by: I_g=I_gd·W_T·L_T  (eq. 8);

where W_T and L_T are, respectively, the width and length of the tunneling FET 104 in microns. The transconductance, in terms of density, in units of A/(V·μm²) for the tunneling FET 104 is calculated from eq. 2 with replacing device current I_D by gate current I_g for the two-terminal FET 104.

The transconductance, in density, is designated by G_md and is given by: G_md=I_gd·{[0.673·T_ox/V_g]+[11.225·exp(−1.159·V_g)]}  (eq. 9).

Thus, the transconductance of the tunneling FET 104 in (A/V) as a function of gate current density, channel length, channel width and temperature is given by: G_m=G_md·W_T·L_T=I_gd·W_T·L_T·K_T  (eq. 10);

where K_T=[0.673 T_ox/V_g]+[11.225·exp (−1.159·V_g)]

As described hereinafter, the current source 108 in parallel with the tunneling FET 104 provides an additional source of current, designated by I_s, and may be used for optimization of the circuit gain and frequency response.

Source Follower

The output conductance of the source follower 102, in (A/V), may be expressed as follows: G_ds=W_S·B1·exp[(A₂·V_gs)−(C2·L_s)]  (eq. 11).

Again, the source follower 102 is preferably made from a thick gate oxide (e.g., 5.2 nm). V_gs, W_s, and L_s are, respectively, the gate to source voltage, channel width and channel length, of the source follower. The values of the parameters B1, A2 and C2 are functions of V_ds, the drain-to-source voltage of the source follower 102. Equation (11) is valid for L_s in the range of about 0.5 μm to about 1.5 μm, and for V_g in the range of about 0.5 V to about 1.0 V. For V_ds of about 1.5 V, B1=0.0003, A2=5.2961, and C2=3.8274.

The source follower 102 operates in the saturation range wherein the drain current there through is equal to the gate tunneling current (I_g) of the tunneling FET 104. This gate current in turn is equal to the drain to source current of the source follower 102, which is given by: I_g=[W_s/(2·L_s)]μ_n·C_i·V_dsat²  (eq. 12);

wherein μ_n is the electron mobility, C_i is the gate oxide capacitance/unit area, and V_dsat is given by: V_dsat=V_gs−V_t  (eq. 13).

V_t is the threshold voltage in saturation, which is about 0.4 volts. V_gs for the source follower 102 is given by: V_gs=VS₂−V_g  (eq. 14);

where VS₂ is the input voltage to the gate of the source follower and V_g is the gate voltage of the tunneling FET 104. The drain-to-source voltage of the source follower (V_ds) is >V_dsat. The load resistor R_L (i.e., load 106) has a voltage thereacross of about 0.05 volts. The V_ds for the source follower is given by: V_ds=VS₁−0.05−V_g  (eq. 15);

where VS₁ is the supply voltage 110 connected to the load resistor R_L.

Circuit Gain

The circuit gain for the tunneling gate amplifier 100 is given by: Gain=(G_md·W_T·L_T)/G_ds  (eq. 16).

From equations (11), (12), and (16), the gain can also be expressed as: Gain=(I_gd·W_T·L_T·K_T) exp[(C2·L_s)−(A2·V_gs)]·(μ_n·C_i·V_dsat²)/[B1·2·L_s·I_gd·W_T·L_T]  (eq. 17).

This may be further expressed as: Gain=K_T·exp[(C2·L_s)−(A2·V_gs)]·(μ_n·C_i·V_dsat²)/[B1·2·L_s]  (eq. 18).

As can be seen from (eq. 18), the circuit gain is independent of I_gd, which is the current density of the tunneling FET 104. The gain is also independent of the dimensions of the tunneling FET 104 (W_T and L_T). However, the circuit gain increases with increasing L_s and V_gs for the source follower 102. It should also be noted that, for a given channel length (L_s) of the source follower 102, the channel width thereof has to satisfy (eq. 12).

With regard to the current source 108, the transconductance G_m for the parallel combination of the tunneling FET 104 and the current source 108 is the same as would be the case where the tunneling FET 104 is used without the current source 108. This is due to the fact that because the current value of the current source 108 remains constant and does not change with gate voltage. Accordingly, the derivative of the total current with respect to voltage will be the same as that for the tunneling FET. The circuit gain when constant current source 108 is used is expressed by: Gain=(I_gd·W_T·L_T)·K_T·exp[(C2·L_s)−(A₂·V_gs)]·(μ_n·C_i·V_dsat²)/{B1·2·L_s·[(I_gd·W_T·L_T)+L_s]}  (eq. 19).

As can be seen from (eq. 19), when adding a constant current source 108 in parallel with the tunneling FET 104, the circuit gain decreases with increasing I_s due to the increase in total current and corresponding increase in the width and conductance G_ds for the source follower 102. Also, in adding the constant current source 108, the gain will increase with increasing area of tunneling FET 104, provided that the magnitude of the current source 108 is significantly larger than the gate current of the tunneling FET 104.

−3 dB Upper Frequency Point for Gain

The −3 dB point of the rollover in gain is F_U=½_TTR_oC_T, where R_o is the output resistance of the NFET source follower and C_T is the total capacitance of the combination of the tunneling FET and the source follower. The total capacitance is determined as follows: C_T=(6.641·L_s·W_s)+(34.531·L_T·W_T/Tox)fF  (eq. 20)

• • where L_s, W_s, L_T, and W_T are all in microns and T_ox is in nm. The load resistance R_L (106) is given by V_L/(I_g+I_s), wherein as described above, V_L is the voltage across the output resistor and is equal to about 0.05 volts. Using (eq. 12) and (eq. 13), and for a general case where a constant current source is included, the upper frequency roll-off point is expressed as: F_U={[(10·W_s/L_s)·μ_n·Ci·(V_gs−V_t)²]+I_s}10¹⁵/{2_TT·[(6.641·L_s·W_s)+(34.531·L_T·W_T/T_ox)]}Hz  (eq. 21).

For the case where I_s=0, it will be noted that W_s, for a given L_s, is determined by (eq. 12), which gives W_s as direct function of the tunneling gate current and the area of the tunneling FET 104. If the gate capacitance of the tunneling FET 104 is much larger than that of the current source, then F_U will be independent of the area of the tunneling FET 104. In any case, F_U decreases with increasing L_s, and increases with increasing V_gs.

For the case when the parallel constant current source 108 is not zero, and if I_s is greater than the gate current of the tunneling FET 104, then the −3 dB frequency point will decrease with increasing area of the tunneling FET 104. Again, F_U will decease with increasing L_s, and increase with increasing V_gs. Fu will also increase with increasing value of the current source I_s.

In order to illustrate the effect of the above described design parameters on the amplifier output gain and −3 dB upper frequency (F_U), 4 design examples (cases) are considered and are presented in Table 1.

TABLE 1
Parameter	Case 1	Case 2	Case 3	Case 4
Tox of Tunneling FET (nm)	1.0	1.2	1.2	1.2
VS1 Supply Voltage (volts)	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5
Vg of Tunneling FET/	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Source of Source Follower
(volts)
Constant Current Source, IS	0	0	2.0	2.0
(mA)
Gate Current Density of	2.34	0.32	0.32	0.32
Tunneling FET (μA/μm2)
Area Range of Tunneling	0.08-1.0	0.08-1.0	0.08-1.00	.08-2.0
Amplifier (μm2)
Transconductance of	0.01	0.0013	0.0013	0.0013
Tunneling Amplifier
(mA/V · μm2)
Drain Voltage of Source	2.45	2.45	2.45	2.45
Follower (volts)
Vds of Source Follower	1.45	1.45	1.45	1.45
(volts)
Vt of Source Follower	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
(volts)
Voltage Across Load	0.05	0.05	0.05	0.05
Resistor (volts)
Gate Oxide Capacitance	34.5	28.78	28.78	28.78
of Tunneling Amplifier
(fF/μm2)
Gate Oxide Capacitance	6.64	6.64	6.64	6.64
of Source Follower
(fF/μm2)

Using the parameters specified in Case 1, FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate, respectively, the gain and −3 dB (F_U) frequency point as a function of channel length of the source follower 102. These results show, as expected, increasing gain with increasing L_s and V_gs. In addition, F_U increases with V_gs but decreases with increasing L_s. It will be noted that for the range of L_s indicated in the Figures, W_s for the source follower is determined from (eq. 12) and is required to be equal to or greater than 0.3 μm. As an example, in FIGS. 7 and 8, for V_gs=0.75 V, the area of the tunneling FET cannot be less than 1.0 μm², so that W_s is not less than 0.3 μm.

Using the parameters specified in Case 2, FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate, respectively, the gain and Fu as a function of channel length of the source follower 102. In this example, T_ox for the tunneling FET 104 is increased to 1.2 nm (from 1.0 nm in case 1), thereby causing Fu to be lower than for Case 1 but without affecting the gain. In Case 3, a constant current source of 2 mA is added as compared to the parameters of Case 2. The gain and Fu as a function of channel length of the source follower 102 are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, respectively. Consistent with the trends depicted in Table 1, the gain in Case 3 is lower than that for Cases 1 and 2, while the −3 dB point is higher. Lastly, for Case 4, Fu is increased with respect to Case 3 as the area of the tunneling FET 104 is increased. Again, the gain and F_U as a function of channel length of the source follower 102 are shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, respectively.

Finally, FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a differential version of a tunneling amplifier circuit 200, in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention. As is shown, the differential tunneling amplifier circuit 200 includes a pair of source followers 202a, 202b, the gate terminals of which represent the differential voltage input. In addition, a pair of tunneling gate FETs 204a, 204b, are used to set the transconductance of the circuit, wherein the tunneling gate FETs are cross-coupled to one another for equal loading on the differential pair. In other words, the gate terminal of tunneling FET 204a is coupled to the source of source follower 202a, while the source and drain terminals of tunneling FET 204a are coupled to the source of source follower 202b. Similarly, the gate terminal of tunneling FET 204b is coupled to the source of source follower 202b, while the source and drain terminals of tunneling FET 204b are coupled to the source of source follower 202a. Furthermore, in addition to a common-mode load circuit 206a, 206b coupled to the drain of respective source followers 202a, 202b, a differential-mode load circuit 207 may be coupled between the drain terminals of the source followers 202a, 202b. The differential mode load 207 could include, for example, back-to-back tunneling devices for precise gain control. It is further noted that the circuit 200 includes a pair of current sources 208a, 208b. Common-mode load 206a and 206b are connected, respectively, to supply voltages 210a and 210b.

As will be appreciated, the above described invention embodiments provide an amplifier circuit that advantageously utilizes the gate tunneling current of an ultra-thin oxide FET by using this current as the drain current for a thick oxide source follower. As such, the transconductance G_m of the amplifier circuit is dictated by the constant tunneling current, while the output conductance G_ds is controlled by the source follower. Accordingly, this configuration provides the capability of independent control of the transconductance and output conductance by designing a tunneling FET having an ultra thin gate oxide in conjunction with a source follower with a thick gate oxide. Furthermore, the amplifier is resistant to hot carrier effects, and thus resistant to time dependent degradation of gain due to hot carriers.

Moreover, selective optimization of the gain and the −3 dB frequency point can be made with respect to several parameters such as V_ds, V_gs, channel length and width for source follower, as well as area, gate voltage, and oxide thickness of the tunneling FET. In this manner, the particular selection of FET parameters may also be used, for example, to reduce the total area required for the amplifier circuit (i.e., to determine a trade off between performance and device area need). Still another means of optimizing the gain and frequency performance of the amplifier is through the use of a constant current source in parallel with the tunneling FET, which also allows for higher oxide thicknesses for the tunneling FET. In addition, as also disclosed herein, a differential form of the tunneling amplifier may be utilized for precise control of the circuit gain.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit amplifier, comprising: a first field effect transistor (FET) device configured as a source follower; and a second FET device configured as a tunneling gate FET, said tunneling gate FET coupled to said source follower; wherein said tunneling gate FET is further configured so as to set a transconductance of the amplifier and said source follower is configured so as to set an output conductance of the amplifier.

2. The integrated circuit amplifier of claim 1, wherein a gate terminal of said tunneling gate FET is coupled to a source terminal of said source follower.

3. The integrated circuit amplifier of claim 2, wherein an input terminal of the amplifier comprises a gate terminal of said source follower and an output terminal of the amplifier further comprises a drain terminal of said source follower.

4. The integrated circuit amplifier of claim 2, wherein a source terminal and a drain terminal of said tunneling gate FET are coupled to one another.

5. The integrated circuit amplifier of claim 2, further comprising a constant current source in parallel with said tunneling gate FET.

6. The integrated circuit amplifier of claim 3, further comprising a load circuit coupled to said drain terminal of said source follower.

7. The integrated circuit amplifier of claim 1, wherein said source follower has a gate oxide thickness of about 4.0 nanometers (nm) to about 7.0 nm, and said tunneling gate FET has a gate oxide thickness of about 0.8 nm to about 2.2 nm.

8. The integrated circuit amplifier of claim 1, wherein said output conductance set by said source follower is less than said transconductance set by said tunneling gate FET.

9. An integrated circuit differential amplifier, comprising: a first field effect transistor (FET) device configured as a first source follower; a second FET device configured as a second source follower; a third FET device configured as a first tunneling gate FET, said first tunneling gate FET coupled between said first source follower and said second source follower; and a fourth FET device configured as a second tunneling gate FET, said second tunneling gate FET coupled between said first source follower and said second source follower; wherein said first and second tunneling gate FETs are further configured so as to set a transconductance of the differential amplifier and said first and second source followers are configured so as to set an output conductance of the differential amplifier.

10. The integrated circuit differential amplifier of claim 9, wherein: a gate terminal of said first tunneling gate FET is coupled to a source terminal of said first source follower; a source and a drain terminal of said first tunneling gate FET is coupled to a source terminal of said second source follower; a gate terminal of said second tunneling gate FET is coupled to said source terminal of said second source follower; a source and a drain terminal of said second tunneling gate FET is coupled to said source terminal of said first source follower.

11. The integrated circuit differential amplifier of claim 10, wherein: an input terminal pair of the differential amplifier comprises a gate terminal of said first source follower and a gate terminal of said second source follower; and an output terminal pair of the differential amplifier further comprises a drain terminal of said first source follower and a drain terminal of said second source follower.

12. The integrated circuit differential amplifier of claim 10, further comprising: a first common-mode load circuit coupled to said drain terminal of said first source follower; a second common-mode load circuit coupled to said drain terminal of said second source follower; a differential-mode load circuit coupled between said drain terminal of said first source follower and drain terminal of said second source follower.

13. The integrated circuit differential amplifier of claim 10, wherein said output conductance set by said first and second source followers is less than said transconductance set by said first and second tunneling gate FETs.

14. A method for implementing an integrated circuit amplifier, the method comprising: configuring a first field effect transistor (FET) device as a source follower; and configuring a second FET device as a tunneling gate FET coupled to said source follower; wherein said tunneling gate FET is further configured so as to set a transconductance of the amplifier and said source follower is configured so as to set an output conductance of the amplifier.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a gate terminal of said tunneling gate FET is coupled to a source terminal of said source follower.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein: an input terminal of the amplifier comprises a gate terminal of said source follower and an output terminal of the amplifier further comprises a drain terminal of said source follower; and a source terminal and a drain terminal of said tunneling gate FET are coupled to one another.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring a constant current source in parallel with said tunneling gate FET.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising independently selecting a first set of FET device parameters with respect to a second set of FET device parameters so as to determine a desired amplifier gain and a desired amplifier frequency response.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein: said first set of FET device parameters includes at least one of: a channel length of said source follower, a gate-to-source voltage of said source follower, and a gate oxide thickness of said tunneling gate FET; and said second set of FET device parameters includes at least one of: a current density of said tunneling gate FET, a channel width of said tunneling gate FET and a channel length of said tunneling gate FET.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein: said first set of FET device parameters includes at least one of: a channel length of said source follower, a gate-to-source voltage of said source follower, a gate oxide thickness of said tunneling gate FET, a current value of a constant current source configured in parallel with said tunneling gate FET, and an area of said tunneling gate FET; and said second set of FET device parameters includes at least one of: a current density of said tunneling gate FET.