Impact of collector-base junction traps on low-frequency noise in high breakdown Voltage SiGe HBTs

• Published in: IEEE transactions on electron devices Vol. 51; no. 9; pp. 1475 - 1482
• Main Authors: Jin Tang, Guofu Niu, Joseph, A.J., Harame, D.L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.09.2004; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Breakdown; Charge carrier lifetime; Devices; Electric potential; Electronics; Emittance; Exact sciences and technology; Germanium alloys; Heterojunction bipolar transistors; Noise; Phase noise; Random noise; Semiconductor device modeling; Semiconductor device noise; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Silicon alloys; Silicon germanides; Transistors; Voltage; Semiconductor alloys; Base emitter junction; Electric breakdown; g-r noise; 1/f noise; compact modeling; Modeling; low-frequency noise; Cut off frequency; Breakdown voltage; High voltage; Voltage standard; SiGe HBT; high-injection barrier effect; Heterojunction bipolar transistors; cut-off frequency; neutral base recombination; Base collector junction
• ISSN: 0018-9383; 1557-9646
• DOI: 10.1109/TED.2004.833582

This work investigates the impact of collector-base (CB) junction traps on low-frequency noise in high breakdown voltage (HBV) SiGe HBTs. By comparing the base current and 1/f noise at the same internal emitter-base (EB) voltage of the standard breakdown voltage (SBV) and HBV devices, we show that the CB junction traps not only increase base current, but also contribute base current 1/f noise when high injection occurs. The individual 1/f noise contributions from the emitter-base junction traps and from the collector-base junction traps are separated. The dependence of the 1/f noise component on the corresponding base current component is determined, and shown to be different for the EB and CB junction traps. The dependence of the total 1/f noise on the total base current, however, remains the same before and after high injection occurs in the HBV device, which is approximately the same as that for the SBV device. The I/sub B/ contribution from the CB junction recombination current needs to be modeled for accurate I-V and 1/f noise modeling.