SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors and circuits toward terahertz communication applications

The relatively less exploited terahertz band possesses great potential for a variety of important applications, including communication applications that would benefit from the enormous bandwidth within the terahertz spectrum. This paper overviews an approach toward terahertz applications based on SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) technology, focusing on broad-band communication applications. The design, characteristics, and reliability of SiGe HBTs exhibiting record f/sub T/ of 375 GHz and associated f/sub max/ of 210 GHz are presented. The impact of device optimization on noise characteristics is described for both low-frequency and broad-band noise. Circuit implementations of SiGe technologies are demonstrated with selected circuit blocks for broad-band communication systems, including a 3.9-ps emitter coupled logic ring oscillator, a 100-GHz frequency divider, 40-GHz voltage-controlled oscillator, and a 70-Gb/s 4:1 multiplexer. With no visible limitation for further enhancement of device speed at hand, the march toward terahertz band with Si-based technology will continue for the foreseeable future.     

InGaAs-InP DHBTs for increased digital IC bandwidth having a 391-GHz f/sub /spl tau// and 505-GHz f/sub max/

InP-In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As-InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBT) have been designed for use in high bandwidth digital and analog circuits, and fabricated using a conventional mesa structure. These devices exhibit a maximum 391-GHz f/sub /spl tau// and 505-GHz f/sub max/, which is the highest f/sub /spl tau// reported for an InP DHBT-as well as the highest simultaneous f/sub /spl tau// and f/sub max/ for any mesa HBT. The devices have been aggressively scaled laterally for reduced base-collector capacitance C/sub cb/. In addition, the base sheet resistance /spl rho//sub s/ along with the base and emitter contact resistivities /spl rho//sub c/ have been lowered. The dc current gain /spl beta/ is /spl ap/36 and V/sub BR,CEO/=5.1 V. The devices reported here employ a 30-nm highly doped InGaAs base, and a 150-nm collector containing an InGaAs-InAlAs superlattice grade at the base-collector junction. From this device design we also report a 142-GHz static frequency divider (a digital figure of merit for a device technology) fabricated on the same wafer. The divider operation is fully static, operating from f/sub clk/=3 to 142.0 GHz while dissipating /spl ap/800 mW of power in the circuit core. The circuit employs single-buffered emitter coupled logic (ECL) and inductive peaking. A microstrip wiring environment is employed for high interconnect density, and to minimize loss and impedance mismatch at frequencies >100 GHz.     

A 183 GHz f/sub T/ and 165 GHz f/sub max/ regrown-emitter DHBT with abrupt InP emitter

Small-area regrown emitter-base junction InP/In-GaAs/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBT) using an abrupt InP emitter are presented for the first time. In a device with emitter-base junction area of 0.7 /spl times/ 8 /spl mu/m/sup 2/, a maximum 183 GHz f/sub T/ and 165 GHz f/sub max/ are exhibited. To our knowledge, this is the highest reported bandwidth for a III-V bipolar transistor utilizing emitter regrowth. The emitter current density is 6/spl times/10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ at V/sub CE,sat/ = 1.5 V. The small-signal current gain h/sub 21/ = 17, while collector breakdown voltage is near 6 V for the 1500-/spl Aring/-thick collector. The emitter structure, created by nonselective molecular beam epitaxy regrowth, combines a small-area emitter-base junction and a larger-area extrinsic emitter contact, and is similar in structure to that of a SiGe HBT. The higher f/sub T/ and f/sub max/ compared to previously reported devices are achieved by simplified regrowth using an InP emitter and by improvements to the regrowth surface preparation process.     

Cryogenic operation of third-generation, 200-GHz peak-f/sub T/, silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors

We present a comprehensive investigation of the cryogenic performance of third-generation silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) technology. Measurements of the current-voltage (dc), small-signal ac, and broad-band noise characteristics of a 200-GHz SiGe HBT were made at 85 K, 120 K, 150 K, 200 K, and 300 K. These devices show excellent behavior down to 85 K, maintaining reasonable dc ideality, with a peak current gain of 3800, a peak cut-off frequency (f/sub T/) of 260 GHz, a peak f/sub max/ of 310 GHz, and a minimum noise figure (NF/sub min/) of approximately 0.30 dB at a frequency of 14 GHz, in all cases representing significant improvements over their corresponding values at 300 K. These results demonstrate that aggressively scaled SiGe HBTs are inherently well suited for cryogenic electronics applications requiring extreme levels of transistor performance.     

15-nm base type-II InP/GaAsSb/InP DHBTs with F/sub T/=384 GHz and a 6-V BV/sub CEO/

Type-II InP/GaAsSb/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) with a 15-nm base were fabricated by contact lithography: 0.73/spl times/11 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ emitter devices feature f/sub T/=384GHz (f/sub MAX/=262GHz) and BV/sub CEO/=6V. This is the highest f/sub T/ ever reported for InP/GaAsSb DHBTs, and an "all-technology" record f/sub T//spl times/BV/sub CEO/ product of 2304 GHz/spl middot/V. This result is credited to the favorable scaling of InP/GaAsSb/InP DHBT breakdown voltages (BV/sub CEO/) in thin collector structures.     

InP HBT integrated circuit technology with selectively implanted subcollector and regrown device layers

We describe a quasi-planar HBT process using a patterned implanted subcollector with a regrown MBE device layer. Using this process, we have demonstrated discrete SHBT with f/sub t/>250 GHz and DHBT with f/sub t/>230 GHz. The process eliminates the need to trade base resistance for extrinsic base/collector capacitance. Base/collector capacitance was reduced by a factor of 2 over the standard mesa device with a full overlap between the heavily doped base and subcollector regions. The low proportion of extrinsic base/collector capacitance enables further vertical scaling of the collector even in deep submicrometer emitters, thus allowing for higher current density operation. Demonstration ring oscillators fabricated with this process had excellent uniformity and yield with gate delay as low as 7 ps and power dissipation of 6 mW/CML gate. At lower bias current, the power delay product was as low as 20 fJ. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of high-performance HBTs and integrated circuits using a patterned implant on InP.     

High frequency performance of Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x//Si/sub 1-y/Ge/sub y//Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/ HBTs

The results of a theoretical study of the performance of high speed SiGe HBTs is presented. The study includes a group of SiGe HBTs in which the Ge concentration in the base is 20% higher than that in the emitter and collector (i.e. y=x+0.2). It is shown that the composition dependences of f/sub T/ and the F/sub max/ are non-monotonic. As the Ge composition in the emitter and collector layers is increased, f/sub T/ and f/sub max/ first decrease, then remain constant and finally increase to attain their highest values.<>     

一种基于SiGe BiCMOS的高速采样/保持电路

设计了一种基于BiCMOS工艺的高速采样/保持电路,该工艺提供了180 nm的CMOS和75 GHz fT的SiGe HBT.差分交换式射极跟随器和低下垂输出缓冲器的结合,使电路具有更好的性能.在Cadence Spectre环境下进行仿真,当输入信号为968.75 MHz、Vpp为1 V的正弦波,采样速率为2 GSPS时,该采样/保持电路的SFDR达到62.2 dB,THD达到-59.5 dB,分辨率达到9位;在3.3 V电源电压下,电路功耗为20 mW.     

High Power SiGe X-Band (8～10GHz) Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors and Amplifiers

Limited by increased parasitics and thermal effects as device size increases, current commercial SiGe power HBTs are difficult to operate at X-band (8～ 12GHz) frequencies with adequate power added efficiencies at high power levels. We find that, by changing the heterostructure and doping profile of SiGe HBTs, their power gain can be significantly improved without resorting to substantial lateral scaling. Furthermore, employing a common-base configuration with a proper doping profile instead of a common-emitter configuration improves the power gain characteristics of SiGe HBTs, thus permitting these devices to be efficiently operated at X-band frequencies. In this paper,we report the results of SiGe power HBTs and MMIC power amplifiers operating at 8～10GHz. At 10GHz,a 22.5dBm (178mW) RF output power with a concurrent gain of 7.32dB is measured at the peak power-added efficiency of 20.0%, and a maximum RF output power of 24.0dBm (250mW) is achieved from a 20 emitter finger SiGe power HBT. The demonstration of a single-stage X-band medium-power linear MMIC power amplifier is also realized at 8GHz. Employing a 10-emitter finger SiGe HBT and on-chip input and output matching passive components, a linear gain of 9.7dB,a maximum output power of 23.4dBm,and peak power added efficiency of 16% are achieved from the power amplifier. The MMIC exhibits very low distortion with 3rd order intermodulation (IM) suppression C/I of -13dBc at an output power of 21.2dBm and over 20dBm 3rd order output intercept point (OIP3).     

High Power SiGe X-Band (8～10GHz) Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors and Amplifiers

Limited by increased parasitics and thermal effects as device size increases,current commercial SiGe power HBTs are difficult to operate at X-band (8～12GHz) frequencies with adequate power added efficiencies at high power levels.We find that,by changing the heterostructure and doping profile of SiGe HBTs,their power gain can be significantly improved without resorting to substantial lateral scaling.Furthermore,employing a common-base configuration with a proper doping profile instead of a common-emitter configuration improves the power gain characteristics of SiGe HBTs,thus permitting these devices to be efficiently operated at X-band frequencies.In this paper,we report the results of SiGe power HBTs and MMIC power amplifiers operating at 8～10GHz.At 10GHz,a 22.5dBm (178mW) RF output power with a concurrent gain of 7.32dB is measured at the peak power-added efficiency of 20.0%,and a maximum RF output power of 24.0dBm (250mW) is achieved from a 20 emitter finger SiGe power HBT.The demonstration of a single-stage X-band medium-power linear MMIC power amplifier is also realized at 8GHz.Employing a 10-emitter finger SiGe HBT and on-chip input and output matching passive components,a linear gain of 9.7dB,a maximum output power of 23.4dBm,and peak power added efficiency of 16% are achieved from the power amplifier.The MMIC exhibits very low distortion with 3rd order intermodulation (IM) suppression C/I of -13dBc at an output power of 21.2dBm and over 20dBm 3rd order output intercept point (OIP3).     

High Power SiGe X-Band (8～10GHz) Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors and Amplifiers

Limited by increased parasitics and thermal effects as device size increases, current commercial SiGe power HBTs are difficult to operate at X-band (8～ 12GHz) frequencies with adequate power added efficiencies at high power levels. We find that, by changing the heterostructure and doping profile of SiGe HBTs, their power gain can be significantly improved without resorting to substantial lateral scaling. Furthermore, employing a common-base configuration with a proper doping profile instead of a common-emitter configuration improves the power gain characteristics of SiGe HBTs, thus permitting these devices to be efficiently operated at X-band frequencies. In this paper,we report the results of SiGe power HBTs and MMIC power amplifiers operating at 8～10GHz. At 10GHz,a 22.5dBm (178mW) RF output power with a concurrent gain of 7.32dB is measured at the peak power-added efficiency of 20.0%, and a maximum RF output power of 24.0dBm (250mW) is achieved from a 20 emitter finger SiGe power HBT. The demonstration of a single-stage X-band medium-power linear MMIC power amplifier is also realized at 8GHz. Employing a 10-emitter finger SiGe HBT and on-chip input and output matching passive components, a linear gain of 9.7dB,a maximum output power of 23.4dBm,and peak power added efficiency of 16% are achieved from the power amplifier. The MMIC exhibits very low distortion with 3rd order intermodulation (IM) suppression C/I of -13dBc at an output power of 21.2dBm and over 20dBm 3rd order output intercept point (OIP3).     

SiGe BiCMOS technology for RF circuit applications

SiGe BiCMOS is reviewed with focus on today's production 0.18-/spl mu/m technology at f/sub T//f/sub MAX/ of 150/200 GHz and future technology where device scaling is bringing about higher f/sub T//f/sub MAX/, as well as lower power consumption, noise figure, and improved large-signal performance at higher levels of integration. High levels of radio frequency (RF) integration are enabled by the availability of a number of active and passive modules described in this paper including high voltage and high-power devices, complementary PNPs, high quality MIM capacitors, and inductors. Key RF circuit results highlighting the advantages of SiGe BiCMOS in addressing today's RF IC market are also discussed both for applications at modest frequencies (1 to 10 GHz) as well as for emerging applications at higher frequencies (20 to >100 GHz).     

Substrate current based avalanche multiplication measurement in 120 GHz SiGe HBTs

A new substrate current-based technique for measuring the avalanche multiplication factor (M - 1) in high-speed SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) is proposed. The technique enables M - 1 measurement at high operating current densities required for high-speed operation, where conventional techniques fail because of self-heating. Using the proposed technique, M - 1 was measured up to 10 mA//spl mu/m/sup 2/ on SiGe HBTs featuring 120 GHz peak f/sub T/ which occurs at J/sub C/ about 7 mA//spl mu/m/sup 2/. Implications for circuit applications are also discussed.     

Noise in SiGe HBT RF Technology: Physics, Modeling, and Circuit Implications

This paper presents an overview of the physics, modeling, and circuit implications of RF broad-band noise, low-frequency noise, and oscillator phase noise in SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) RF technology. The ability to simultaneously achieve high cutoff frequency (f/sub T/), low base resistance (r/sub b/), and high current gain (/spl beta/) using Si processing underlies the low levels of low-frequency 1/f noise, RF noise, and phase noise of SiGe HBTs. We first examine the RF noise sources in SiGe HBTs and the RF noise parameters as a function of SiGe profile design, transistor biasing, sizing, and operating frequency, and then show a low-noise amplifier design example to bridge the gap between device and circuit level understandings. We then examine the low-frequency noise in SiGe HBTs and develop a methodology to determine the highest tolerable low-frequency 1/f noise for a given RF application. The upconversion of 1/f noise, base resistance thermal noise, and shot noises to phase noise is examined using circuit simulations, which show that the phase noise corner frequency in SiGe HBT oscillators is typically much smaller than the 1/f corner frequency measured under dc biasing. The implications of SiGe profile design, transistor sizing, biasing, and technology scaling are examined for all three types of noises.     

A 0.18-/spl mu/m RF SiGe BiCMOS technology with collector-epi-free double-poly self-aligned HBTs

This paper describes an RF SiGe BiCMOS technology based on a standard 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS process. This technology has the following key points: 1) A double-poly self-aligned SiGe-HBT is produced by adding a four-mask process to the CMOS process flow-this HBT has an SiGe epitaxial base selectively grown on an epi-free collector; 2) two-step annealing of CMOS source/drain/gate activation is utilized to solve the thermal budget tradeoff between SiGe-HBTs and CMOS; and 3) a robust Ge profile design is studied to improve the thermal stability of the SiGe-base/Si-collector junction. This process yields 73-GHz f/sub T/, 61-GHz f/sub max/ SiGe HBTs without compromising 0.18-/spl mu/m p/sup +//n/sup +/ dual-gate CMOS characteristics.     

Submicron scaling of HBTs

The variation of heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) bandwidth with scaling is reviewed. High bandwidths are obtained by thinning the base and collector layers, increasing emitter current density, decreasing emitter contact resistivity, and reducing the emitter and collector junction widths. In mesa HBTs, minimum dimensions required for the base contact impose a minimum width for the collector junction, frustrating device scaling. Narrow collector junctions can be obtained by using substrate transfer or collector-undercut processes or, if contact resistivity is greatly reduced, by reducing the width of the base ohmic contacts in a mesa structure. HBTs with submicron collector junctions exhibit extremely high f_max and high gains in mm-wave ICs. Transferred-substrate HBTs have obtained 21 dB unilateral power gain at 100 GHz. If extrapolated at -20 dB/decade, the power gain cutoff frequency f_max is 1.1 THz. f_max will be less than 1 THz if unmodeled electron transport physics produce a >20 dB/decade variation in power gain at frequencies above 110 GHz. Transferred-substrate HBTs have obtained 295 GHz f_T. The substrate transfer process provides microstrip interconnects on a low-ϵ_r polymer dielectric with a electroplated gold ground plane. Important wiring parasitics, including wiring capacitance, and ground via inductance are substantially reduced. Demonstrated ICs include lumped and distributed amplifiers with bandwidths to 85 GHz and per-stage gain-bandwidth products over 400 GHz, and master-slave latches operating at 75 GHz     

Comparison of InP/InGaAs DHBT distributed amplifiers as modulator drivers for 80-Gbit/s operation

This paper compares three single-ended distributed amplifiers (DAs) realized in an in-house InP/InGaAs double heterojunction bipolar transistor technology featuring an f/sub t/ and f/sub max/ larger than 200 GHz. The amplifiers use five or eight gain cells with cascode configuration and emitter follower buffering. Although the technology is optimized for mixed-signal circuits for 80 Gbit/s and beyond, DA results could be achieved that demonstrate the suitability of this process for the realization of modulator drivers. The results are documented with scattering parameter, eye diagram, and power measurements. This includes amplifiers featuring a 3-dB bandwidth exceeding 80 GHz and a gain of over 10 dB. One of the amplifiers exhibits clear eyes at 80 Gbit/s with a gain of 14.5 dB and a voltage output swing of 2.4 V/sub pp/ limited by the available digital input signal. This amplifier delivers an output power of 18 dBm (5.1 V/sub pp/) at 40 GHz and 1-dB compression. Two amplifiers offer a tunable gain peaking, which can be used to optimize circuit performance and to compensate losses in the circuit environment. The results show that, using our InP/InGaAs technology, an integration of high-speed mixed-signal circuits (e.g., multiplexers) and high-power modulator drivers on a single chip is feasible.     

一种低噪声SiGe微波单片放大电路

介绍了一种利用SiGe技术制作的低噪声SiGe微波单片放大电路(MMIC)。该电路以达林顿结构的形式级联,由两个异质结双极型晶体管(HBT)和4个电阻组成;HBT采用准自对准结构,其SiGe基区为非选择性外延。在1 GHz频率下,电路噪声为1.59 dB,功率增益为14.3 dB,输入驻波比为1.6,输出驻波比为2.0。     

Graded base type-II InP/GaAsSb DHBT with f/sub T/=475 GHz

The first demonstration of a type-II InP/GaAsSb double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) with a compositionally graded InGaAsSb to GaAsSb base layer is presented. A device with a 0.4/spl times/6 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ emitter dimensions achieves peak f/sub T/ of 475 GHz (f/sub MAX/=265 GHz) with current density at peak f/sub T/ exceeding 12 mA//spl mu/m/sup 2/. The structure consists of a 25-nm InGaAsSb/GaAsSb graded base layer and 65-nm InP collector grown by MBE with breakdown voltage /spl sim/4 V which demonstrates the vertical scaling versus breakdown advantage over type-I DHBTs.     

High bandwidth and low-leakage current InP-In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As-InP DBHTs on GaAs substrates

InP-In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As-InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) were grown on GaAs substrates. A 284-GHz power-gain cutoff frequency f/sub max/ and a 216-GHz current-gain cutoff frequency f/sub /spl tau// were obtained, presently the highest reported values for metamorphic HBTs. The breakdown voltage BV/sub CEO/ was >5 V while the dc current gain /spl beta/ was 21. High thermal conductivity InP metamorphic buffer layers were employed in order to minimize the device thermal resistance.