Fully-planar AlGaAs/GaAs HBT's achieved by selective CBE regrowth

This paper describes a novel fully planar AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) technology using selective chemical beam epitaxy (CBE). Planarization is achieved by a selective regrowth of the base and collector contact layers. This process allows the simultaneous metallization of the emitter, base and collector on top of the device. For the devices with an emitter-base junction area of 2×6 μm² and a base-collector junction area of 14×6 μm², a current gain cut off frequency of 50 GHz and a maximum oscillation frequency of 30 GHz are achieved. The common emitter current gain h_FE is 25 for a collector current density J_c of 2×10⁴ A/cm²     

Carbon-doped base GaAs-AlGaAs HBT's grown by MOMBE and MOCVDregrowth

High-quality GaAs-AlGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) in which the carbon-doped base layers (p=10¹⁰-10²⁰ cm^-3, 400-800 Å thick) and Sn-doped collector and subcollector layers are grown by metalorganic molecular-beam epitaxy (MOMBE) and a subsequent regrowth using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is used to provide the n⁺ AlGaAs emitter and GaAs/InGaAs contact layers are discussed. A current gain of 20 was obtained for a base doping of 10¹⁹ cm^-3 (800 Å thick) in a 90-μm-diameter device, with ideality factors of 1.0 and 1.4 for the base-collector and emitter-base junctions, respectively, demonstrating the excellent regrowth-interface quality. For a base doping of 10²⁰ cm^-3 (400 Å thick), the current gain decreased to 8     

Stress current behavior of InAlAs/InGaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs HBT's withpolyimide passivation

InAlAs/InGaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs, with heavily Be-doped base layers, have been fabricated and their reliability under excessive forward current tested. To understand the HBT material difference, a common process based on a polyimide planarization method is applied to the fabrication. While short-term degradation induced by stress current is observed for AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs, InAlAs/InGaAs HBTs are stable up to a current density of 1.5×10⁵ A/cm², indicating the absence of substantial Be diffusion. An analysis of base current has shown a striking contrast between the HBTs in terms of the stressing effect on the surface recombination along emitter junction periphery     

Design study of AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs

The frequency performance of AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) having different layouts, doping profiles, and layer thicknesses was assessed using the BIPOLE computer program. The optimized design of HBTs was studied, and the high current performances of HBTs and polysilicon emitter transistors were compared. It is shown that no current crowding effect occurs at current densities less than 1×10⁵ A/cm² for the HBT with emitter stripe width S_E<3 μm, and the HBT current-handling capability determined by the peak current-gain cutoff frequency is more than twice as large as that of the polysilicon emitter transistor. An optimized maximum oscillation frequency formula has been obtained for a typical process n-p-n AlGaAs/GaAs HBT having base doping of 1×10 ¹⁹ cm^-3     

Characterization of ultra-high-speed pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs(on GaAs) MODFETs

The authors report a detailed characterization of ultrahigh-speed pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs (on GaAs) modulation-doped field-effect transistors (MODFETs) with emphasis on the device switching characteristics. The nominal 0.1-μm gate-length device exhibit a current gain cutoff frequency (f_t) as high as 152 GHz. This value of f_t corresponds to a total delay of approximately 1.0 ps and is attributed to the optimization of layer structure, device layout, and fabrication process. It is shown that the electron transit time in these very short gate-length devices still accounts for approximately 60% of the total delay, and, as a result, significant improvements in switching speed are possible with further reductions of gate length. The results reported clearly demonstrate the potential of the pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs MODFET as an ultrahigh-speed device. Its excellent switching characteristics are attributed to the high saturation velocity (~2×10⁷ cm/s), 2DEG sheet density (2.5×10¹² cm^-2), and current drive capability (>200 mA/mm at the peak transconductance)     

High performance Al0.35Ga0.65As/GaAs HBT's

AlGaAs emitter heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) are demonstrated to have excellent dc and RF properties comparable to InGaP/GaAs HBTs by increasing the Al composition. Al_0.35Ga _0.65As/GaAs HBTs exhibit very high dc current gain at all bias levels, exceeding 140 at 25 A/cm² and reaching a maximum of 210 at 26 kA/cm² (L=1.4 μm×3 μm, R_sb=330 Ω/□). The temperature dependence of the peak dc current gain is also significantly improved by increasing the AlGaAs mole fraction of the emitter. Device analysis suggests that a larger emitter energy gap contributes to the improved device performance by both lowering space charge recombination and increasing the barrier to reverse hole injection     

Fabrication and characterization of AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors

The fabrication and characterization of MBE-grown AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT's) are described, A Be redistribution profile in the HBT epi-layer at the emitter-base heterojunction interface is investigated using secondary ion mass spectrometry, A relatively high substrate temperature of 650°C during growth can be employed by introducing a 100-Å undoped spacer layer between the emitter and base layer. A simple wafer characterization method using phototransistors is demonstrated for accurately predicting current gain in a three-terminal device. A dc current gain of up to 230 is obtained for the fabricated HBT with a heavy base doping of 1 × 10¹⁹/cm³. A gain-bandwidth product fTof 25 GHz is achieved with a 4.5-µm-width emitter HBT.     

Low emitter resistance GaAs based HBT's without InGaAs caps

Low emitter resistance is demonstrated for AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors using Pd/Ge contacts on a GaAs contact layer. The contact resistivity to 2-10×10¹⁸ cm ^-3 n-type GaAs is 4-1×10^-7 Ω-cm² . These are comparable to contact resistivities obtained with non-alloyed contacts on InGaAs layers. The non-spiking Pd/Ge contact demonstrates thermal stability and area independent resistivity suitable for scaled devices. The substitution of Pd/Ge for AuGe/Ni GaAs emitter and collector contacts reduced by an order of magnitude the emitter-base offset voltage at high current densities and increased f_t by more than 15% with significantly improved uniformity for devices with 2 and 2.6 μm wide emitters having lengths two, four and six times the width     

High-current-gain small-offset-voltage In0.49Ga0.51P/GaAs tunneling emitter bipolar transistors grown by gas sourcemolecular beam epitaxy

Different emitter size, self-aligned In_0.49Ga_0.51 P/GaAs tunneling emitter bipolar transistors (TEBTs) grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE) with 100-Å barrier thickness and 1000-Å p⁺(1×10¹⁹ cm^-3) base have been fabricated and measured at room temperature. A small-signal current gain of 236 and a small common-emitter offset voltage of 40 mV were achieved without any grading. It is found that the emitter size effect on current gain was reduced by the use of a tunnel barrier. The current gain and the offset voltage obtained were the highest and lowest reported values to date, respectively, in InGaP/GaAs system heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) or TEBTs with similar base dopings and thicknesses     

GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction Pnp bipolar transistors grownon (100) Si by molecular beam epitaxy

GaAs/AlGaAs Pnp heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) were fabricated and tested on (100) Si substrates for the first time. A common-emitter current gain of β=8 was measured for the typical devices with an emitter area of 50×50 μm² at a collector current density of 1×10⁴ A/cm² with no output negative differential resistance up to 280 mA, highest current used. A very high base-collector breakdown voltage of 10 V was obtained. Comparing the similar structures grown on GaAs substrates, the measured characteristics clearly demonstrate that device grade hole injection can be obtained in GaAs on Si epitaxial layers despite the presence of dislocations     

A high-gain GaAs/AlGaAs n-p-n heterojunction bipolar transistor on(100) Si grown by molecular beam epitaxy

High-gain GaAs/AlGaAs n-p-n heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT's) on Si substrates grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been fabricated and tested. In this structure, an n⁺-InAs emitter cap layer was grown in order to achieve a nonalloyed ohmic contact. Typical devices with an emitter dimension of 50×50 μm² exhibited a current gain as high as 45 at a collector current density of 2×10³ A/cm² with an ideality factor of 1.4. This is the highest current gain reported for HBT's grown on Si substrates. Breakdown voltages as high as 10 and 15 V were observed for the emitter-base and collector-base junctions respectively. The investigation on devices with varying emitter dimensions demonstrates that much higher current gains can be expected     

Backgating in pseudomorphic In0.15Ga0.85As/Al0.25Ga0.75As MODFET's with a GaAs:Er buffer layer

A new GaAs:Er buffer layer grown by MBE has been developed which significantly reduces backgating currents (by 3 to 4 orders of magnitude) in pseudomorphic InGaAs/AlGaAs modulation-doped field effect transistors (MODFET's). The buffer layer is highly resistive, in the 10 ²-10⁵ Ω·cm range over the Er-doping range investigated. Presence of internal Schottky barriers resulting from high-density ErAs precipitates has been proposed to he the cause of the high resistivity     

High/fmax collector-up AlGaAs/GaAsheterojunction bipolar transistors with a heavily carbon-doped basefabricated using oxygen-ion implantation

AlGaAs/GaAs collector-up heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with a heavily carbon-doped base layer were fabricated using oxygen-ion implantation and zinc diffusion. The high resistivity of the oxygen-ion-implanted AlGaAs layer in the external emitter region effectively suppressed electron injection from the emitter, allowing collector current densities to reach values above 10⁵ A/cm ². For a transistor with a 2-μm×10-μm collector, f_T was 70 GHz and f_max was as high as 128 GHz. It was demonstrated by on-wafer measurements that the first power performance of collector-up HBTs resulted in a maximum power-added efficiency of as high as 63.4% at 3 GHz     

Symmetric P-n-P InAlAs/InGaAs double-heterojunction bipolartransistors fabricated with Si-ion implantation

The authors have successfully fabricated symmetric P-n-P InAlAs/InGaAs double-heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) using self-aligned Si-ion implantation and refractory emitter contacts with current gains of 115 and 30 in the emitter-up and the emitter-down configurations, respectively. Two thin Be-doped In_0.53Ga_0.47As layers inserted on both sides of base lead to the excellent I-V characteristics. The authors have shown that hole injection from the external portions of the emitter should be suppressed by a factor of 10^-5 to 10^-3 at a collector current density of about 10³ A/cm² , which is much smaller than that of N-p-n GaAs/AlGaAs HBTs and DHBTs are promising devices for applications to circuits with low power dissipation     

GaAsSb for heterojunction bipolar transistors

The advantages of using GaAsSb in heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) are discussed with emphasis on two recent experimental results in the AlGaAs/GaAsSb material system. The performances of a prototype n-p-n AlGaAs/GaAsSb/GaAs double HBT (DHBT) that exhibits stable current gain with maximum collector current density of 5×10 ⁴ A/cm², and a p-n-p AlGaAs/GaAs HBT with a superlattice GaAsSb emitter ohmic contact which has a specific contact resistivity of 5±1×10^-7 Ω-cm² across the sample, are examined     

Charge control, DC, and RF performance of a 0.35-μmpseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs modulation-doped field-effecttransistor

The authors describe a study of charge control in conjunction with DC and RF performance of 0.35-μm-gate-length pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs MODFETs. Using C-V measurements, they estimate that a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with density as high as 1.0×10¹² cm^-2 can be accumulated in the InGaAs channel at 77 K before the gate begins to modulate parasitic charges in the AlGaAs. This improvement in charge control of about 10-30% over a typical AlGaAs/GaAs MODFET may partially be responsible for the superior DC and RF performance of the AlGaAs/InGaAs MODFET. At room temperature, the devices give a maximum DC voltage gain g _m/g_d of 32 and a current gain cutoff frequency f_T of 46 GHz. These results are state of the art for MODFETs of similar gate length     

A high-performance InGaAs/InAlAs double-heterojunction bipolartransistor with nonalloyed n+-InAs cap layer on InP(n) grownby molecular beam epitaxy

An InGaAs/InAlAs double-heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) on InP(n) grown by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) that exhibits high DC performance is discussed. An n⁺-InAs emitter cap layer was used for nonalloyed contacts in the structure and specific contact resistances of 1.8×10^-7 and 6.0×10^-6 Ω-cm² were measured for the nonalloyed emitter and base contacts, respectively. Since no high-temperature annealing is necessary, excellent contact surface morphology on thinner base devices can easily be obtained. In devices with 50×50-μm² emitter area, common-emitter current gains as high as 1500 were achieved at a collector current density of 2.7×10³ A/cm² . The current gain increased up to 2000 for alloyed devices     

GaAs bipolar transistors with a Ga0.5In0.5Phole barrier layer and carbon-doped base grown by MOVPE

GaAs bipolar transistors with a 50-Å-thick lattice matched Ga_0.5In_0.5P layer between the emitter and base acting as a hole repelling potential barrier in the valence band were fabricated from films grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). The 1000-Å-thick base was doped with carbon to 2×10¹⁹ cm^-3, resulting in a base sheet resistance of 250 Ω/□. Carbon has been chosen because of its low diffusivity. Using the barrier layer as an etch stop the authors fabricated mesa-type broad-area devices. The output characteristics of the devices are ideal with very small offset voltages and infinite Early voltages. Common emitter current gains of up to 70 at 10⁴ A/cm² collector current density were obtained. The current gain is clearly higher than the one calculated for a bipolar junction transistor with the same doping profile because the base-emitter hole current is suppressed by the Ga_0.5In_0.5P potential barrier in the valence band     

Pnp HBT with 66 GHz fmax

The total emitter to collector delay for a Pnp AlGaAs/GaAs HBT has been reduced to 4.8 ps by employing a thin base (325 Å) and collector (2300 Å). Simultaneously, a low base sheet resistance of 170 ohms/square was achieved with tellurium doping. A higher collector doping than is typically used permitted operation at collector current densities in excess of 5×10⁴ A/cm². A single emitter (2×4 μm²) and a single base contact device topology has an f_t and f_max of 33 and 66 GHz, respectively     

Submicrometer self-aligned AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolartransistor process suitable for digital applications

A self-aligned process is developed to obtain submicrometer high-performance AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) which can maintain a high current gain for emitter sizes on the order of 1 μm². The major features of the process are incorporation of an AlGaAs surface passivation structure around the entire emitter-base junction periphery to reduce surface recombination and reliable removal of base metal (Ti/W) deposits from the sidewall by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma deposition of oxide and ECR plasma etching by NF₃. A DC current gain of more than 30 can be obtained for HBTs with an emitter-base junction area of 0.5×2 μm² at submilliampere collector currents. The maximum f_T and f_max obtained from a 0.5×2 μm² emitter HBT are 46 and 42 GHz, respectively at I_C=1.5 and more than 20 GHz even at I_C=0.1 mA