Compact Modeling and Device Simulation of TerahertzInGaAs/InP Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors

异质结双极晶体管（HBT）具有最高的功率处理能力，并通过其极高的导通电阻，实现最高的电路速度。具有InGaAs基区的基于磷化铟（InP）的HBT是第一个被证明具有高于1太赫兹（THz）的功率增益截止频率的HBT。这种性能解决了对（亚）毫米波应用的日益增长的兴趣，例如雷达、成像和化学品检测，运输、健康监测和安全。为了部署这种用于设计电路和系统的高速HBT技术，需要紧凑的晶体管模型，以在宽的偏置、温度、频率和器件几何形状范围内尽可能准确地捕获测量的晶体管特性。如提案中所示，不仅现有典型使用的模型的准确性不足，而且这些模型所涵盖的晶体管尺寸的种类对于上一代技术已经非常有限。这阻碍了电路优化，例如速度或能量效率，并因此阻碍了半导体技术的充分利用。此外，现有的计算效率高的数值器件模拟不适用于InP HBT，从而阻止了对相关物理效应的有价值的见解。最后，特别是对于非线性大信号操作，验证的紧凑和数值模型是有限的，远低于100 GHz的可用和负担得起的测量设备。该项目解决了上述所有问题。主要目标是：（i）研究最快的InP HBT工艺技术的电学行为和物理效应。(ii)开发基于物理的几何可扩展紧凑模型和高达325 GHz的小信号验证。(iii)一个计算效率高的双谷漂移扩散解算器的开发。(iv)应用一种新的片上测量方法进行高达几百GHz的大信号晶体管表征和模型验证。

Heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) possess the highest power handling capability and, through their extremely high transconductance, enable highest circuit speed. Indium-Phosphide (InP) based HBTs with an InGaAs base region are the first ones that have been demonstrated to have a power gain cut-off frequency above 1 Terahertz (THz). Such performance addresses the increasing interest in (sub-)mm-wave applications such as radar, imaging and chemicals detection for, e.g., transportation, health monitoring and security. In order to deploy such a high-speed HBT technology for designing circuits and systems, compact transistor models are required that capture measured transistor characteristics as accurately as possible over a wide bias, temperature, frequency and device geometry range. As shown in the proposal, not only is the accuracy of the existing typically used models inadequate but also is the variety of transistor sizes covered by those models very limited already for the previous technology generation. This prevents circuit optimization, e.g. for speed or energy efficiency, and thus prevents the full exploitation of a semiconductor technology. Furthermore, existing computationally efficient numerical device simulation does not work for InP HBTs, thus preventing valuable insights into the relevant physical effects. Finally, especially for nonlinear large-signal operation, validation of both compact and numerical models is limited to far below 100GHz by available and affordable measurement equipment. This project addresses all of the above mentioned issues. Major goals are: (i) Investigation of the electrical behavior and physical effects of the fastest InP HBT process technology. (ii) Development of a physics-based geometry scalable compact model and small-signal verification up to 325 GHz. (iii) Development of a computationally efficient two-valley drift-diffusion solver. (iv) Applying of a novel on-chip measurement approach for large-signal transistor characterization and model verification up to several 100GHz.