Collector optimization for tradeoff between breakdown voltage and cut-off frequency in SiGe HBT

Abstract

As is well known, there exists a tradeoff between the breakdown voltage BVCEO and the cut-off frequency fT for a standard heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT). In this paper, this tradeoff is alleviated by collector doping engineering in the SiGe HBT by utilizing a novel composite of P+ and N− doping layers inside the collector-base (CB) space-charge region (SCR). Compared with the single N-type collector, the introduction of the thin P+ layers provides a reverse electric field weakening the electric field near the CB metallurgical junction without changing the field direction, and the thin N− layer further effectively lowers the electric field near the CB metallurgical junction. As a result, the electron temperature near the CB metallurgical junction is lowered, consequently suppressing the impact ionization, thus BVCEO is improved with a slight degradation in fT. The results show that the product of fT × BVCEO is improved from 309.51 GHz·V to 326.35 GHz·V.