Georgia Institute

of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

SiGe HBT BiCMOS Technology

for Extreme Environment Applications
John D. Cressler

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

791 Atlantic Drive, N.W.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0250 USA

[email protected]
Tel (404) 894-5161 / FAX (404) 894-4641
http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~cressler/

JPL Extreme Environment Workshop, 5/03

John D. Cressler, 5/03 1
 Georgia Institute
Outline of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Motivation
• Some Reminders on SiGe HBTs
• Operation at Extreme Temperatures
• Radiation Effects
• Summary

John D. Cressler, 5/03 2

 Georgia Institute
Communications Market of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Portable Communications Devices (900 MHz to multi-GHz)

- cellular phones, PDA, GPS, wireless internet, ...
• Large Communications Platforms (multi-GHz)
- global links, radar systems, space-based services, …
• Computer Links (multi-GHz)
- wireless LAN, optical fiber links, TV, internet, …
• Transportation (multi-GHz)
- collision-avoidance radar, GPS, intelligent highway, …

Moral 1: Frequency Bands are Pushing Increasingly Higher

Moral 2: Huge Market But Stringent Performance Requirements
We Need High-Speed + Low-Cost Device Technology!
John D. Cressler, 5/03 3
 Georgia Institute
The Landscape of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

John D. Cressler, 5/03 Courtesy of K. Lim 4

 Georgia Institute
The Landscape of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

SiGe Technology

John D. Cressler, 5/03 Courtesy of K. Lim 5

 Georgia Institute
Strained-Layer Epitaxy of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• SiGe on Si Compressive Strain in the SiGe Layer

John D. Cressler, 5/03 6

 Georgia Institute
The Bad News … of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Si and SiGe Are Not Lattice-Matched (4% difference in lattice constant)

• Places Stringent Restrictions on Film Stability (% Ge + thickness)
• MUST Avoid Film Relaxation (defects)

John D. Cressler, 5/03 7

 Georgia Institute
Relaxation in SiGe of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Relaxation Occurs Via Defect Formation … lots of defects!

• Bad News for Devices!

Dislocation
Structures
in a Relaxed
SiGe Film

John D. Cressler, 5/03 8

 Georgia Institute
The Good News … of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Constraints Are “Easy” To Satisfy in Bipolar Transistors (thin base)

• Epitaxial Films Integrate With Conventional Si Processing (CMOS)
• Films are Amazingly Robust (oxidation, implantation, etc.)

John D. Cressler, 5/03 9

 Georgia Institute
When You Do It Right … of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Seamless Integration of SiGe into Si

No Evidence
of Deposition!

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 Georgia Institute
Electrical Consequences of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Type-I Band Alignment (Valence Band Offset = 74 meV / 10% Ge)

• Strain-Induced Density-of-States Reduction (bad news)
• Hole Mobility Enhancement (good news)
∆EV
Strained SiGe Si

100 meV grading across 100 nm = 10 kV/cm electric field!

John D. Cressler, 5/03 11
 Georgia Institute
Device Cross-section of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Conventional Shallow and Deep Trench Isolation + CMOS BEOL

• Unconditionally Stable UHV/CVD SiGe Epitaxial Base
• 100% Si Fabrication Compatibility

John D. Cressler, 5/03 12

 Georgia Institute
SEM of a SiGe HBT of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• 120 GHz Peak fT Process (IBM)

Courtesy of IBM
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 Georgia Institute
Typical Doping Profile of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

1st Generation SiGe

Emitter Base Collector Sub-Collector
WE (um) 0.42
peak fT (GHz) 50
peak fmax (GHz) 70
BVCEO (V) 3.3

2nd Generation
WE (um) 0.18
peak fT (GHz) 120
peak fmax (GHz) 100
BVCEO (V) 2.5

State-of-the-art
WE (um) 0.12
peak fT (GHz) 207
peak fmax (GHz) 285
BVCEO (V) 1.7

John D. Cressler, 5/03 14

 Georgia Institute
Global SiGe Progress of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Multiple Companies Are Working in the >100 GHz fT Range

John D. Cressler, 5/03 15

 Georgia Institute
SiGe BiCMOS Evolution of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Best-of-Breed CMOS Comes Along for the Ride!

• Enables System-on-a-Chip Integration

SiGe HBT

Si CMOS

John D. Cressler, 5/03 16

 Georgia Institute
Technology Leverage of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Si Has Come a Long Way! (competitive with InP HBT technologies)

• Substantial Power Savings Opportunities (new system-level paradigm)
• Maintains Si Economy-of-Scale

John D. Cressler, 5/03 17

 Georgia Institute
Energy Band Diagram of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

John D. Cressler, 5/03 18

 Georgia Institute
The SiGe HBT of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Idea: Put Graded Ge Layer into the Base of a Si BJT

Primary Consequences:
• smaller base bandgap increases electron injection (β )
• field from graded base bandgap decreases base transit time (fT )
• base bandgap grading produces higher Early voltage (VA )

III-V HBT Properties + Si Processing Maturity!

John D. Cressler, 5/03 Bandgap Engineering in Si! 19
 Georgia Institute
Outline of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Motivation
• Some Reminders on SiGe HBTs
• Operation at Extreme Temperatures
• Radiation Effects
• Summary

John D. Cressler, 5/03 20

 Georgia Institute
Si BJTs at Cryo-T of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Degradation in Current Gain with Cooling (bad news)

- driven by emitter-to-base bandgap narrowing differences
• Degradation in Speed with Cooling (bad news)
- driven by diffusivity decrease in base transit time and base freeze-out

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 Georgia Institute
SiGe HBTs at Cryo-T? of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Idea: Put Graded Ge Layer into the Base of a Si BJT

Primary Consequences:
• smaller base bandgap increases electron injection (β )
• field from graded base bandgap decreases base transit time (fT )
• base bandgap grading produces higher Early voltage (VA )

All kT Factors Are Arranged to Help at Cryo-T!

John D. Cressler, 5/03 22
 Georgia Institute
Device Characteristics of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• SiGe Performance Improves With Cooling (good news)

- current gain and output resistance (Early Voltage) increases with cooling
- frequency response / noise improve with cooling
- abrupt, heavily doped epitaxial base controls freeze-out

SiGe HBT

Si BJT

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 Georgia Institute
Digital Circuits of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• SiGe Enables High-Speed Circuits at Cryogenic Temperatures

- frequency response improves with cooling
- abrupt, heavily doped epitaxial base controls freeze-out
- higher large-signal gm allows reduced logic swing operation

Unloaded Loaded
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 Georgia Institute
Recent Cryo-T Results of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• 200 GHz SiGe Technology Works VERY Well at 77K

• At 85K, fT > 250 GHz and NFmin = 0.30 dB with Gass = 17 dB at 14 GHz!

John D. Cressler, 5/03 Best-of-Breed RF/microwave/mm-wave Circuits at Cryo-T! 25

 Georgia Institute
Helium Temperature? of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• SiGe Is Clearly Capable of Operation Down to the Helium-T Regime

- base doping is above Mott transition – minimal base freeze-out
- more work needed to flesh out the HeT design/operation space

1st Generation
SiGe HBTs

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 Georgia Institute
High Temperatures? of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• SiGe Operates Well Up to at Least 300C

- minimal CB leakage + adequate current gain (some ac degradation expected)
- Ge profile can be optimized for high-T if necessary
- SiGe on SOI is also a valid technology path if required

John D. Cressler, 5/03 27

 Georgia Institute
Outline of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Motivation
• Some Reminders on SiGe HBTs
• Operation at Extreme Temperatures
• Radiation Effects
• Summary

John D. Cressler, 5/03 28

 Georgia Institute
Radiation Effects of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• The Holy Grail of the Space Community

- IC technology space-qualified without additional hardening
proton belts electron belts

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 Georgia Institute
Experiments (1995-2003) of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• SiGe HBT BiCMOS Technology Generations:

- 1st Generation (IBM 5HP – 50 GHz HBT + 0.35µm CMOS)
- 2nd Generation (IBM 6HP – 50 GHz HBT + 0.25µm CMOS)
- 3rd Generation (IBM 7HP – 120 GHz HBT + 0.18µm CMOS)
- 4th Generation (IBM 8HP – 200 GHz HBT)
• Radiation Sources:
- gamma rays
- protons (1.75 MeV to 200 MeV)
- neutrons
- low dose rate gamma
- gamma at 77K
• Single Event Effects:
- heavy ion
- proton
- ion microbeam

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 Georgia Institute
Recent Results of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Multi-Mrad Total Dose Hardness (with no intentional hardening!)

• Radiation Hardness Due to Epitaxial Base Structure (not Ge)
- thin emitter-base spacer + heavily doped extrinsic base + very thin base

63 MeV protons
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 Georgia Institute
Radiation + Cryo? of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Compare Total Dose Tolerance Between 300K and 77K

• 77K Gamma Irradiation
- even less damage than at 300K!

77K

300K

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 Georgia Institute
Summary of Technology
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• SiGe HBT BiCMOS Technology

- bandgap engineering in Si (high speed + low cost + integration)
- SiGe ideally suited for RF, analog, and digital circuits
- BiCMOS gives many system-on-a-chip possibilities
• SiGe For Extreme Temperatures
- all properties improve down to 77K (and below)
- works fine up to 300C
• SiGe For The Radiation Environment
- epi-base structure has built-in total-dose hardness
- SEE mitigation approaches currently being pursued

SiGe Is Very Promising for Extreme Environments!

Now Is The Time For Focused Research In This Area!
John D. Cressler, 5/03 33