SiGe HBTs and HFETs

Abstract

SiGe is just on an upswing. Attractive potentials can be foreseen and outstanding performance was even demonstrated, e.g. high frequencies above 100 GHz, low noise below 0.5 dB at 2 GHz, high transconductances around 400 mS/mm. A further driving force for the growing engagement with SiGe is its basic compatibility to standard Si-technology. Though most of the results stem from discrete devices SiGe is already going to be produced. The first devices will be SiGe-heterobipolar transistors (HBT). Targeted applications are converters or mobile communication systems. The status of our devices is reviewed here. In long term the SiGe hetero fieldeffect transistor (HFET) will become another candidate creating a new advanced generation in mainstream CMOS, s.c. SiGe Hetero CMOS (HCMOS). Our status of SiGe HFETs and its potential for HCMOS is presented also.