| Abstract: | A new analytical model for the base current of Si/SiGe/Si heterojunction bipolar transistors(HBTs) has been developed. This model includes the hole injection current from the base to the emitter, and the recombination components in the space charge region(SCR) and the neutral base. Distinctly different from other models, this model includes the following effects on each base current component by using the boundary condition of the excess minority carrier concentration at SCR boundaries: the first is the effect of the parasitic potential barrier which is formed at the Si/SiGe collector-base heterojunction due to the dopant outdlffusion from the SiGe base to the adjacent Si collector, and the second is the Ge composition grading effect. The effectiveness of this model is confirmed by comparing the calculated result with the measured plot of the base current vs. the collector-base bias voltage for the ungraded HBT. The decreasing base current with the increasing the collector-base reverse bias voltage is successfully explained by this model without assuming the short-lifetime region close to the SiGe/Si collector-base junction, where a complete absence of dislocations is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM)1]. The recombination component in the neutral base region is shown to dominate other components even for HBTs with a thin base, due to the increased carrier storage in the vicinity of the parasitic potential barrier at collector-base heterojunction. |
