A study of the effects of the base doping profile on SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor performance for all levels of injection

摘要

The effects of two different base doping profiles on the current gain and cut-off frequency for all levels of current injection have been studied for NPN Si/SiGe/Si double heterojunction bipolar transistors (SiGe DHBTs). The two-dimensional simulation results for a SiGe DHBT with uniform base doping and a fixed base Gummel number are compared with a non-uniform base doping profile SiGe drift-DHBT device. The study explains the performance of SiGe HBTs at different injection levels by analysing the electron and hole mobility, drift velocity, electric field, junction capacitances and intrinsic and extrinsic base region conductivities. The base doping profile in the SiGe drift-DHBT is controlled in such a way that it creates a net accelerating drift field in the quasi-neutral base for minority electrons. This accelerating field subsequently improves the current gain and cut-off frequency for the SiGe drift-DHBT in comparison with the SiGe DHBT for all levels of injection.