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SiGe Technology
21st Century Communications Market - wireless
devices computer links transportation space
... Frequency bands pushing higher Huge
market but stringent device requirements Moral
Need High-Performance But Low-Cost Device
Technology SiGe HBT - first bandgap-engineered
Si transistor - better ?, VA, fT, fmax, NFmin
than Si BJT - III-V performance Si fabrication
cost - 200 GHz SiGe HBTs possible! SiGe HBT
BiCMOS Technology - SiGe HBT best-of-breed Si
CMOS - analog digital RF passives for
system-on-a-chip solutions - in commercial
production (IBM, Maxim, TEMIC, etc.)
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Research Program (John D. Cressler)
Focus Next-Generation Device
Technologies Fundamental device physics,
fabrication, device and circuit characterization,
RF and microwave properties of devices, profile
optimization for specific circuit / system
applications, device / circuit interactions,
device simulation and circuit-level modeling
Specialties - SiGe devices and technology -
SiC devices and technology - radiation
effects - extreme temperatures
Circuits RF /
MMIC analog / digital
power electronics extreme environments
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Device Physics Si vs SiGe vs SiC noise,
linearity breakdown issues effects of T,
radiation
Simulation parameter models profile
optimization mixed-mode 2D / 3D
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State-of-the-Art Hardware
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Current Research Activities (John D. Cressler)
SiGe Devices and Technology 1) RF / microwave
noise and linearity understanding 2) Profile
optimization issues, stability limits, and novel
device physics phenomena 3) Device-to-circuit
interactions and modeling of novel device
phenomena 4) Radiation effects in SiGe HBT
BiCMOS (total dose SEU) 5) Breakdown limits
and voltage constraints for RF circuits 6)
Avalanche multiplication measurement and
modeling 7) Understanding of 1/f noise and its
up-conversion to phase noise 8) Effects of
C-doping on SiGe HBTs 9) Cryogenic operation
SiC Devices and Technology 1) SiC diodes for
high-power / high-temperature power systems 2)
Effects of radiation on SiC devices and the
SiO2/SiC system 3) Termination modeling and
design for multi-kV blocking Other 1)
Operation of SOI CMOS in extreme environments
(radiation and low / high T) Personnel - 9
PhD, 1 MS, and 2 undergraduate students Funding
Agents - SRC, NSF, NASA-GSFC, IBM, NASA-CSPAE,
NASA-Glenn, On Semi., JPL, TI, Rockwell