Silicon-Germanium Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor DC and AC Analysis Operating under Cryogenic Temperature

Abstract

In this work, the numerical simulation of a SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) for DC and AC performance operating at cryogenic temperature with a hydrodynamic carrier transport model is analyzed. A new modified temperature-dependent Si1−xGex energy bandgap model was used. Using a simplified 2D TCAD design structure, the device characteristics on 55 nm SiGe HBT technology and the mobility model are calibrated with experimental data. Base current reversal due to induced impact-ionization at the collector-base junction is analyzed, where the estimated collector-emitter breakdown voltage with the base open (BVCEO) is 1.48 V at 300 K. This reveals good voltage handling ability. At cryogenic temperatures, dopant incomplete ionization in the lightly doped collector region shows a 28% decrease in ionized dopant concentration at 50 K; this affects the base-collector depletion capacitance. The emitter electron barrier tunneling leakage on collector current is studied using a non-local e-barrier tunneling model at different temperatures that shows an improvement in peak DC gain at lower temperatures. Using the small-signal ac analysis, the cut-off frequency and the maximum oscillation frequency are extracted for high-frequency application, and the base widening effect is discussed. A comparison of this work with measured data on 90 nm SiGe HBT is also discussed in brief, which shows improvements in the simulated structure.