Experimental study of AlGaAs/GaAs HBT device design for powerapplications

An experimental study of AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) device design for optimizing key DC and RF performance parameters relevant to power device applications is reported. The design of the collector, base, and base-emitter junction is investigated for improved power device performance, and novel device structures are presented. Device scaling effects and the extent to which air-bridged interconnect can reduce parasitics in large power devices are also explored. Power HBTs employing some of the optimized design features have achieved a power output of 1.2 W (4 W/mm) with 43% power-added efficiency at 10 GHz     

Thermal design studies of high-power heterojunction bipolartransistors

A theoretical thermoelectro-feedback model has been developed for the thermal design of high-power GaAlAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). The power-handling capability, thermal instability, junction temperature, and current distributions of HBTs with multiple emitter fingers have been numerically studied. The calculated results indicate that power HBTs on Si substrates (or with Si as the collector) have excellent potential power performance and reliability. The power-handling capability on Si is 3.5 and 2.7 times as large as that on GaAs and InP substrates, respectively. The peak junction temperature and temperature difference on the chip decrease in comparison to the commonly used Si homostructure power transistor with the same geometry and power dissipation. Thereby HBTs are promising for high-speed microwave and millimeter-wave applications. It has been also found that the nonuniform distribution of junction temperature and current can be greatly improved by a ballasting technique that uses unequal-valued emitter resistors     

GaAlAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors: issues andprospects for application

Issues important for the manufacturing of GaAlAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) and their prospects for application in various areas are discussed. The microwave and digital performance status of HBTs is reviewed. Extrapolated values of maximum frequency of oscillation above 200 GHz and frequency divider operation at 26.9 GHz are reported. Key prospects for further device development are highlighted     

Performance capabilities of HBT devices and circuits for satellitecommunication

The heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) performance is studied, with emphasis on its possible utilization in satellite power amplifiers. After a review of the requirements of satellite power amplifiers, the suitability of HBTs is discussed in depth, including the output power capabilities, the realizable power-added efficiency and linearity, reliability considerations, and circuit aspects. Models and simulation tools for HBTs in power amplifiers are discussed, and the results obtained so far are given. A comparison of realized HBTs and various FET devices and circuits demonstrates that the HBT is a promising device for applications in satellite power amplifiers. The HBT will be a preferable device for microwave power amplification if the problems concerning the reliability can be solved, and further investigations will be performed to obtain larger devices with higher rated output power     

异质结晶体管的设计与性能

本文较详细地讨论了异质结晶体管的设计原理、材料选用和结构设计。在能带设计方面对宽发射区、缓变基区和多种收集区分别进行了讨论,比较了不同能带结构的优缺点。文章以晶体管的特征频率f_T和最高振荡频率f_(max)为例分析和比较了Ge/GaAs,Si/α-Si,GaAs/GaAlAs,InGaAsP/InP四种异质结晶体管的频率特性潜力。文章最后对目前常用的台面结构、平面结构、倒置结构作了介绍,并分析了它们的优缺点,简介了异质结的发展现状和发展方向。     

异质结双极晶体管的能带设计

异质结双极晶体管(HBT)是一种新型的超高速、微波与毫米波半导体器件,可以有效地解决同质结双极晶体管中高速度与高放大的关系。本文以AlGaAs/GaAs npn HBT为例,讨论了HBT能带设计中的有关问题,并简要介绍了HBT的研究现状与发展方向。     

AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors for power applications: issues of thermal effect and reliability

AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) has the advantages of superior switching speed, wide linearity, and high current handling capability. As a result, the device has gained popularity in designing power amplifiers for RF and microwave applications. However, the high power in the HBT, together with the poor thermal conductivity of GaAs, gives rise to significant thermal effect and reduced reliability in such a device. This paper presents an overview on the simulation, modeling, and reliability of AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs. Emphasis will be placed on the effects of thermal–electrical interacting behavior on the dc and ac performance of the HBT. The thermal-induced degradation process in the HBT will also be addressed and analyzed.     

Reliability of III–V based heterojunction bipolar transistors

This paper reviews the reliability of III-V based heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). These devices have many potential advantages over other solid-state microwave devices. However, because of the tradeoff between performance and reliability, they are not being used to any great extent in power microwave applications. In the type of III-V HBT device most fully developed, the AlGaAs/GaAs HBT, leakage currents play a major role in the dominant mode of degradation. Because low-frequency noise is related to these leakage currents it has been used extensively in the analysis of the performance and reliability limitations of these devices. The reliability of other types of III-V HBT devices, such as InGaP/GaAs and InP based devices, is also discussed.     

Microwave performance of a self-aligned GaInP/GaAs heterojunctionbipolar transistor

The microwave performance of a self-aligned GaInP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) is presented. At an operating current density of 2.08×10⁴ A/cm², the measured cutoff frequency is 50 GHz and the maximum oscillation frequency extrapolated from measured unilateral gain and the maximum available gain are 116 and 81 GHz, respectively, all using 20-dB/decade slopes. These results are compared with other reported high-frequency performances of GaInP HBTs. In addition, these results are compared with AlGaAs/GaAs HBTs having a similar device structure     

A broad-band amplifier using GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction bipolartransistors

A compact wideband amplifier (or gain block) designed around a Darlington pair of GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) is discussed. This circuit has been fabricated by an ion-implanted process with a transistor f_t of 40 GHz. Two variants of the circuit gave either a 8.5-dB gain with a DC-to-5-GHz 3-dB bandwidth or a 13-dB gain with a DC-to-3-GHz bandwidth. These amplifiers gave 11.8- and 18.3-dBm output, respectively, at 1-dB gain compression     

Base-emitter diffusion capacitance in GaAlAs/GaAs HBTs

The voltage dependence of the base-emitter diffusion capacitance in a single heterojunction GaAlAs/GaAs HBT is discussed. It is found that conventional transistor capacitance models are not accurate for these devices. An empirical expression is given which may be used to model this diffusion capacitance.<>     

Microwave operation of high power InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors

The first high power demonstration of an InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor is presented. Multifinger selfaligned HBTs were tested at 3 GHz. A maximum output power of 2.82 W CW was obtained for a 600 mu m/sup 2/ emitter area device (4.7 mW/ mu m/sup 2/ power density) with an attendant gain of 6.92 dB; simultaneously, the device exhibited 55.2% power added efficiency, 69.1% collector efficiency and 8.0*10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ emitter current density.<>     

AlGaN/GaN基HEMT器件的研究进展(英文)

由于AlGaN具有高的击穿电场(3 MV/cm,是GaAs的7.5倍),且在AlGaN/GaN异质结处存在高浓度的极化诱导二维电子气,AlGaN基高电子迁移率晶体管是目前最适合应用于微波大功率放大领域的器件。着重对影响高频大功率AlGaN/GaN性能的材料结构和器件制作进行了阐述。     

Analysis of the large-signal characteristics of powerheterojunction bipolar transistors exhibiting self-heating effects

The large-signal microwave characteristics of AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) are modeled using the conventional Gummel-Poon-based bipolar junction transistor (BJT) model and extending it to include self-heating effects. The model is incorporated as a user-defined model in a commercial circuit simulator. The experimental microwave characteristics of HBTs are analyzed using the new model and harmonic balance techniques and the impact of self-heating effects on the device large-signal characteristics is investigated. Use of constant base voltage rather than constant current is more suitable for achieving maximum output power. Self-heating induced by RF drive is reduced under constant base current conditions. Increased thermal capacitance values result in gain enhancement at high power levels     

Design and performance of tunnel collector HBTs for microwave power amplifiers

AlGaAs/GaAs/GaAs and GaInP/GaAs/GaAs n-p-n heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) are now in widespread use in microwave power amplifiers. In this paper, improved HBT structures are presented to address issues currently problematic for these devices: high offset and knee voltages and saturation charge storage. Reduced HBT offset and knee voltages (V/sub CE,os/ and V/sub k/) are important to improve the power amplifier efficiency. Reduced saturation charge storage is desirable to increase gain under conditions when the transistor saturates (such as in over-driven Class AB amplifiers and switching mode amplifiers). It is shown in this paper that HBT structures using a 100-/spl Aring/-thick layer of GaInP between the GaAs base, and collector layers are effective in reducing V/sub CE,os/ to 30 mV and V/sub k/ measured at a collector current density of 2/spl times/10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ to 0.3 V (while for conventional HBTs V/sub CE,os/=0.2 V and V/sub k/=0.5 V are typical). A five-fold reduction in saturation charge storage is simultaneously obtained.     

Ring oscillator circuit simulation with physical model for GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction bipolar transistors

Switching performance is simulated for GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT's) by combining a realistic physical device model that involves numerical solutions for carrier transport equations and Poisson's equation with our own circuit simulator that enables direct access to the device model embedded in arbitrary circuits. Based on simulated results for five-stage ring oscillators, discussion is given as to how the switching performance depends on the circuit configuration such as current mode logic (CML) without and with emitter follower, and direct-coupled transistor logic (DCTL), inclusion or exclusion of external base areas, and choice for single-or double-heterojunction transistors.     

Numerical CML switching analyses for heterojunction GaAs/(GaAl)As bipolar transistors

The switching performance of GaAs/Ga_0.7Al_0.3As n-p-n heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) has been investigated for current-mode-logic circuit operation using a hybrid device model composed of numerical one-dimensional transistor and diode models interconnected through resistances corresponding to the real device structure.Switching time is discussed in conjunction with parasitic effects, external circuit conditions and doping profiles.Ultra-high-speed switching of less than 10 ps has been shown to be attainable by scaling the device pattern dimensions down to 1 μm order of magnitude.     

Self-aligned InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors formicrowave power application

As an alternative to AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) for microwave applications, InGaP/GaAs HBTs with carbon-doped base layers grown by metal organic molecular beam epitaxy (MOMBE) with excellent DC, RF, and microwave performance are demonstrated. As previously reported, with a 700-Å-thick base layer (135-Ω/sq sheet resistance), a DC current gain of 25, and cutoff frequency and maximum frequency of oscillation above 70 GHz were measured for a 2-μm×5-μm emitter area device. A device with 12 cells, each consisting of a 2-μm×15-μm emitter area device for a total emitter area of 360 μm², was power tested at 4 GHz under continuous-wave (CW) bias condition. The device delivered 0.6-W output power with 13-dB linear gain and a power-added efficiency of 50%     

GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction bipolar transistors with cutoff frequencies above 10 GHz

This paper describes the fabrication and high-frequency performance of an npn GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunction bipolar transistor. The fabrication process utilized molecular beam epitaxy, and featured a nominal base layer thickness of 500Å. The cutoff frequency,ft, of the transistor was measured to be 11 GHz (a value which was limited by parasitic elements associated with bonding pads and bond-wires).