Sensitivity study of the SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor single event effect based on pulsed laser and technology computer-aided design simulation

The single event effect of a silicon–germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor(SiGe HBT) was thoroughly investigated. By considering the worst bias condition, the sensitive area of the proposed device was scanned with a pulsed laser.With variation of the collector bias and pulsed laser incident energy, the single event transient of the SiGe HBT was studied.Moreover, the single event transient produced by laser irradiation at a wavelength of 532 nm was more pronounced than at a wavelength of 1064 nm. Finally, the impact of the equivalent linear energy transfer of the 1064 nm pulsed laser on the single event transient was qualitatively examined by performing technology computer-aided design simulations, and a good consistency between the experimental data and the simulated outcomes was attained.

Temperature dependence of single-event transients in SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors for cryogenic applications

We experimentally demonstrate that the dominant mechanism of single-event transients in silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors(SiGe HBTs)can change with decreasing temperature from+20℃to-180℃.This is accomplished by using a new well-designed cryogenic experimental system suitable for a pulsed-laser platform.Firstly,when the temperature drops from+20℃to-140℃,the increased carrier mobility drives a slight increase in transient amplitude.However,as the temperature decreases further below-140℃,the carrier freeze-out brings about an inflection point,which means the transient amplitude will decrease at cryogenic temperatures.To better understand this result,we analytically calculate the ionization rates of various dopants at different temperatures based on Altermatt's new incomplete ionization model.The parasitic resistivities with temperature on the charge-collection pathway are extracted by a two-dimensional(2D)TCAD process simulation.In addition,we investigate the impact of temperature on the novel electron-injection process from emitter to base under different bias conditions.The increase of the emitter-base junction's barrier height at low temperatures could suppress this electron-injection phenomenon.We have also optimized the built-in voltage equations of a high current compact model(HICUM)by introducing the impact of incomplete ionization.The present results and methods could provide a new reference for effective evaluation of single-event effects in bipolar transistors and circuits at cryogenic temperatures,and could provide a new evidence of the potential of SiGe technology in applications in extreme cryogenic environments.

Common Base Four-Finger InGaAs/InP Double Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor with Maximum Oscillation Frequency 535 GHz

A common base four-finger InOaAs/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor with 535 OHz fmax by using the 0.5 μm emitter technology is fabricated. Multi-finger design is used to increase the input current. Common base configuration is compared with common emitter configuration, and shows a smaller K factor at high frequency span, indicating a larger breakpoint frequency of maximum stable gain/maximum available gain （MSG/MAG） and thus a higher gain near the cut-off frequency, which is useful in THz amplifier design.

Laser-Induced Single Event Transients in Local Oxidation of Silicon and Deep Trench Isolation Silicon-Germanium Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors

We present a study on the single event transient （SET） induced by a pulsed laser in different silicon-germanium （SiGe） heterojunction bipolar transistors （HBTs） with the structure of local oxidation of silicon （LOCOS） and deep trench isolation （DTI）. The experimental results are discussed in detail and it is demonstrated that a SiGe HBT with the structure of LOCOS is more sensitive than the DTI SiGe HBT in the SET. Because of the limitation of the DTI structure, the charge collection of diffusion in the DTI SiGe HBT is less than that of the LOCOS SiGe HBT. The SET sensitive area of the LOCOS SiGe HBT is located in the eollector-substrate （C/S） junction, while the sensitive area of the DTI SiGe HBT is located near to the collector electrodes.

Comparison of total dose effects on SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors induced by different swift heavy ion irradiation

The degradations in NPN silicon-germanium （SiGe） heterojunction bipolar transistors （HBTs） were fully studied in this work, by means of 25-MeV Si, 10-MeV C1, 20-MeV Br, and 10-MeV Br ion irradiation, respectively. Electrical parameters such as the base current （IB）, current gain （β）, neutral base recombination （NBR）, and Early voltage （VA） were investigated and used to evaluate the tolerance to heavy ion irradiation. Experimental results demonstrate that device degradations are indeed radiation-source-dependent, and the larger the ion nuclear energy loss is, the more the displacement damages are, and thereby the more serious the performance degradation is. The maximum degradation was observed in the transistors irradiated by 10-MeV Br. For 20-MeV and 10-MeV Br ion irradiation, an unexpected degradation in Ic was observed and Early voltage decreased with increasing ion fluence, and NBR appeared to slow down at high ion fluence. The degradations in SiGe HBTs were mainly attributed to the displacement damages created by heavy ion irradiation in the transistors. The underlying physical mechanisms are analyzed and investigated in detail.

Early effect modeling of silicon-on-insulator SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors

Silicon germanium （SiGe） heterojunction bipolar transistor （HBT） on thin silicon-on-insulator （SOI） has recently been demonstrated and integrated into the latest SOI BiCMOS technology. The Early effect of the SOI SiGe HBT is analysed considering vertical and horizontal collector depletion, which is different from that of a bulk counterpart. A new compact formula of the Early voltage is presented and validated by an ISE TCAD simulation. The Early voltage shows a kink with the increase of the reverse base-collector bias. Large differences are observed between SOI devices and their bulk counterparts. The presented Early effect model can be employed for a fast evaluation of the Early voltage and is useful to the design, the simulation and the fabrication of high performance SOI SiCe devices and circuits.

Substrate bias effects on collector resistance in SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors on thin film silicon-on-insulator

An analytical expression for the co/lector resistance of a novel vertical SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor （HBT） on thin film silicon-on-insulator （SOI） is obtained with the substrate bias effects being considered. The resistance is found to decrease slowly and then quickly and to have kinks with the increase of the substrate-collector bias, which is quite different from that of a conventional bulk HBT. The model is consistent with the simulation result and the reported data and is useful to the frequency characteristic design of 0.13 μtm millimeter-wave SiGe SOI BiCMOS devices.

Analytical base collector depletion capacitance in vertical SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors fabricated on CMOS-compatible silicon on insulator

The base-collector depletion capacitance for vertical SiGe npn heterojunction bipolar transistors （HBTs） on silicon on insulator （SOI） is split into vertical and lateral parts. This paper proposes a novel analytical depletion capacitance model of this structure for the first time. A large discrepancy is predicted when the present model is compared with the conventional depletion model, and it is shown that the capacitance decreases with the increase of the reverse collector- base bias-and shows a kink as the reverse collector-base bias reaches the effective vertical punch-through voltage while the voltage differs with the collector doping concentrations, which is consistent with measurement results. The model can be employed for a fast evaluation of the depletion capacitance of an SOI SiGe HBT and has useful applications on the design and simulation of high performance SiGe circuits and devices.

A G-band terahertz monolithic integrated amplifier in 0.5-μm InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor technology

Design and characterization of a G-band（140–220 GHz） terahertz monolithic integrated circuit（TMIC） amplifier in eight-stage common-emitter topology are performed based on the 0.5-μm In Ga As/In P double heterojunction bipolar transistor（DHBT）. An inverted microstrip line is implemented to avoid a parasitic mode between the ground plane and the In P substrate. The on-wafer measurement results show that peak gains are 20 dB at 140 GHz and more than 15-dB gain at 140–190 GHz respectively. The saturation output powers are-2.688 dBm at 210 GHz and-2.88 dBm at 220 GHz,respectively. It is the first report on an amplifier operating at the G-band based on 0.5-μm InP DHBT technology. Compared with the hybrid integrated circuit of vacuum electronic devices, the monolithic integrated circuit has the advantage of reliability and consistency. This TMIC demonstrates the feasibility of the 0.5-μm InGaAs/InP DHBT amplifier in G-band frequencies applications.

Angular dependence of proton-induced single event transient in silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors

We investigate the angular dependence of proton-induced single event transient(SET) in silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors. Experimental results show that the overall SET cross section is almost independent of proton incident angle. However, the proportion of SET events with long duration and high integral charge collection grows significantly with the increasing angle. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that the integral cross section of proton incident events with high ionizing energy deposition in the sensitive volume tends to be higher at larger incident angles, which is associated with the angular distribution of proton-induced secondary particles and the geometry of sensitive volume.

A single-event transient induced by a pulsed laser in a silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor

A study on the single event transient （SET） induced by a pulsed laser in a silicon-germanium （SiGe） heterojunction bipolar transistor （HBT） is presented in this work. The impacts of laser energy and collector load resistance on the SET are investigated in detail. The waveform, amplitude, and width of the SET pulse as well as collected charge are used to characterize the SET response. The experimental results are discussed in detail and it is demonstrated that the laser energy and load resistance significantly affect the SET in the SiGe HBT. Furthermore, the underlying physical mechanisms are analyzed and investigated, and a near-ideal exponential model is proposed for the first time to describe the discharge of laser-induced electrons via collector resistance to collector supply when both base-collector and collector-substrate junctions are reverse biased or weakly forward biased. Besides, it is found that an additional multi-path discharge would play an important role in the SET once the base-collector and collector-substrate junctions get strongly forward biased due to a strong transient step charge by the laser pulse.

Thermal stability improvement of a multiple finger power SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor under different power dissipations using non-uniform finger spacing

A method of non-uniform finger spacing is proposed to enhance thermal stability of a multiple finger power SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor under different power dissipations. Temperature distribution on the emitter fingers of a multi-finger SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor is studied using a numerical electro-thermal model. The results show that the SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor with non-uniform finger spacing has a small temperature difference between fingers compared with a traditional uniform finger spacing heterojunction bipolar transistor at the same power dissipation. What is most important is that the ability to improve temperature non-uniformity is not weakened as power dissipation increases. So the method of non-uniform finger spacing is very effective in enhancing the thermal stability and the power handing capability of power device. Experimental results verify our conclusions.

Physical modeling based on hydrodynamic simulation for the design of InGaAs/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors

A physical model for scaling and optimizing InGaAs/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors（DHBTs） based on hydrodynamic simulation is developed.The model is based on the hydrodynamic equation,which can accurately describe non-equilibrium conditions such as quasi-ballistic transport in the thin base and the velocity overshoot effect in the depleted collector.In addition,the model accounts for several physical effects such as bandgap narrowing,variable effective mass,and doping-dependent mobility at high fields.Good agreement between the measured and simulated values of cutoff frequency,f t,and maximum oscillation frequency,f max,are achieved for lateral and vertical device scalings.It is shown that the model in this paper is appropriate for downscaling and designing InGaAs/InP DHBTs.

Heavy Ion and Laser Microbeam Induced Current Transients in SiGe Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor

Silicon-germanium （SiGe） hereto-junction bipolar transistor current transients induced by pulse laser and heavy iron are measured using a real-time digital oscilloscope. These transients induced by pulse laser and heavy iron exhibit the same waveform and charge collection time except for the amplitude of peak current. Different laser energies and voltage biases under heavy ion irradiation also have impact on current transient, whereas the waveform remains unchanged. The position-correlated current transients suggest that the nature of the current transient is controlled by the behavior of the C/S junction.

A device model for thin silicon-on-insulator SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors with saturation effects

In this paper, we describe the saturation effect of a silicon germanium （SiGe） heterojunction bipolar transistor （HBT） fabricated on a thin silicon-on-insulator （SOI） with a step-by-step derivation of the model formulation. The collector injection width, the internal base-collector bias, and the hole density at the base-collector junction interface are analysed by considering the unique features of the internal and the external parts of the collector, as they are different from those of a bulk counterpart.

Thermal resistance matrix representation of thermal effects and thermal design in multi-finger power heterojunction bipolar transistors

The thermal resistance matrix including self-heating thermal resistance and thermal coupling resistance is presented to describe the thermal effects of multi-finger power heterojunction bipolar transistors. The dependence of thermal resistance matrix on finger spacing is also investigated. It is shown that both self-heating thermal resistance and thermal coupling resistance are lowered by increasing the finger spacing, in which the downward dissipated heat path is widened and the heat flow from adjacent fingers is effectively suppressed. The decrease of self-heating thermal resistance and thermal coupling resistance is helpful for improving the thermal stability of power devices. Furthermore, with the aid of the thermal resistance matrix a 10-finger power heterojunction bipolar transistor （HBT） with non-uniform finger spacing is designed for high thermal stability. The optimized structure can effectively lower the peak temperature while maintaining a uniformity of the temperature profile at various biases and thus the device effectively may operate at a higher power level.

Designing power heterojunction bipolar transistors with non-uniform emitter finger lengths to achieve high thermal stability

With the aid of a thermal-electrical model, a practical method for designing multi-finger power heterojunction bipolar transistors with finger lengths divided in groups is proposed. The method can effectively enhance the thermal stability of the devices without sacrificing the design time. Taking a 40-finger heterojunction bipolar transistor for example, the device with non-uniform emitter finger lengths is optimized and fabricated. Both the theoretical and the experimental results show that, for the optimum device, the peak temperature is lowered by 26.19 K and the maximum temperature difference is reduced by 56.67% when compared with the conventional heterojunction bipolar transistor with uniform emitter finger length. Furthermore, the ability to improve the uniformity of the temperature profile and to expand the thermal stable operation range is strengthened as the power level increases, which is ascribed to the improvement of the thermal resistance in the optimum device. A detailed design procedure is also summarized to provide a general guide for designing power heterojunction bipolar transistors with non-uniform finger lengths.

Weak avalanche multiplication in SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors on thin film silicon-on-insulator

In this paper, we propose an analytical avalanche multiplication model for the next generation of SiGe silicon- on-insulator （SOI） heterojunction bipolar transistors （HBTs） and consider their vertical and lateral impact ionizations for the first time. Supported by experimental data, the analytical model predicts that the avalanche multiplication governed by impact ionization shows kinks and the impact ionization effect is small compared with that of the bulk HBT, resulting in a larger base-collector breakdown voltage. The model presented in the paper is significant and has useful applications in the design and simulation of the next generation of SiCe SOI BiCMOS technology.

High breakdown voltage InGaAs/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors with f_(max)=256 GHz and BV_(CEO)= 8.3 V

An InGaAs/InP DHBT with an InGaAsP composite collector is designed and fabricated using triple mesa structural and planarization technology. All processes are on 3-inch wafers. The DHBT with an emitter area of 1×15 μm2 exhibits a current cutoff frequency ft = 170 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency fmax = 256 GHz. The breakdown voltage is 8.3 V, which is to our knowledge the highest BVcEo ever reported for InGaAs/InP DHBTs in China with comparable high frequency performances. The high speed InGaAs/InP DHBTs with high breakdown voltage are promising for voltage-controlled oscillator and mixer applications at W band or even higher frequencies.

3-D simulation of angled strike heavy-ion induced charge collection in silicon–germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors

This paper presents 3-D simulation of angled strike heavy-ion induced charge collection in domestic silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors （SiGe HBTs）. 3D damaged model of SiGe HBTs single-event effects （SEE） is built by TCAD simulation tools to research ions angled strike dependence. We select several different strike angles at variously typical ions strike positions. The charge collection mechanism for each terminal is identified based on analysis of the device structure and simulation results. Charge collection induced by angled strike ions presents a complex situation. Whether the location of device ions enters, as long as ions track through the sensitive volume, it will cause vast charge collection. The amount of charge collection of SiGe HBT is not only related to length of ions track in sensitive volume, but also influenced by STI and distance between ions track and electrodes. The simulation model is useful to research the practical applications of SiGe HBTs in space, and provides a theoretical basis for the further radiation hardening.