Theoretical prediction of the performance of Si and SiC bipolar transistors operating at high temperatures

SiC, a wide band gap semiconductor, is capable of robust operation at temperatures well above 600°C. SiC bipolar transistors are well suited for applications at high temperatures as, unlike MOSFET, it does not have a critical gate oxide, and hence oxide reliability at high temperatures is not an issue. In this paper, the design of optimized emitter coupled logic technology circuits using 4H-SiC bipolar transistors is presented. The circuits work over a wide range of temperatures and power supply voltages at high speeds, demonstrating the potential of robust high speed ECL integrated circuits in SiC for small-scale logic applications.

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In situ REM imaging of surface processes on ceramic bulk crystals from 300 to 1670 K in a conventional TEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100087616 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 660-661

Author(s):

Z. L. Wang ◽

J. Bentley

Keyword(s):

High Temperatures ◽

Image Resolution ◽

Atomic Processes ◽

Crystal Surfaces ◽

Beam Radiation ◽

Surface Areas ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Reflection Electron Microscopy ◽

Gas Reactions

Studying the behavior of surfaces at high temperatures is of great importance for understanding the properties of ceramics and associated surface-gas reactions. Atomic processes occurring on bulk crystal surfaces at high temperatures can be recorded by reflection electron microscopy (REM) in a conventional transmission electron microscope (TEM) with relatively high resolution, because REM is especially sensitive to atomic-height steps.Improved REM image resolution with a FEG: Cleaved surfaces of a-alumina (012) exhibit atomic flatness with steps of height about 5 Å, determined by reference to a screw (or near screw) dislocation with a presumed Burgers vector of b = (1/3)<012> (see Fig. 1). Steps of heights less than about 0.8 Å can be clearly resolved only with a field emission gun (FEG) (Fig. 2). The small steps are formed by the surface oscillating between the closely packed O and Al stacking layers. The bands of dark contrast (Fig. 2b) are the result of beam radiation damage to surface areas initially terminated with O ions.

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TEM evaluation of graded SixGe1-x heterolayers

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100088786 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 894-895

Author(s):

N. David Theodore ◽

Mamoru Tomozane ◽

Ming Liaw

Keyword(s):

Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors ◽

Gas Flow ◽

Field Effect Transistors ◽

Chemical Vapor ◽

Dark Field ◽

Bipolar Transistors ◽

Structural Quality ◽

Weak Beam ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

And Behavior

There is extensive interest in SiGe for use in heterojunction bipolar transistors. SiGe/Si superlattices are also of interest because of their potential for use in infrared detectors and field-effect transistors. The processing required for these materials is quite compatible with existing silicon technology. However, before SiGe can be used extensively for devices, there is a need to understand and then control the origin and behavior of defects in the materials. The present study was aimed at investigating the structural quality of, and the behavior of defects in, graded SiGe layers grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).The structures investigated in this study consisted of Si1-xGex[x=0.16]/Si1-xGex[x= 0.14, 0.13, 0.12, 0.10, 0.09, 0.07, 0.05, 0.04, 0.005, 0]/epi-Si/substrate heterolayers grown by CVD. The Si1-xGex layers were isochronally grown [t = 0.4 minutes per layer], with gas-flow rates being adjusted to control composition. Cross-section TEM specimens were prepared in the 110 geometry. These were then analyzed using two-beam bright-field, dark-field and weak-beam images. A JEOL JEM 200CX transmission electron microscope was used, operating at 200 kV.

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TEM study of phosphorus-implanted pseudomorphic Si0.88Ge0.12 on Si(100)

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100138713 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 468-469

Author(s):

N. David Theodore ◽

Donald Y.C Lie ◽

J. H. Song ◽

Peter Crozier

Keyword(s):

Integrated Circuits ◽

Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors ◽

Integrated Circuit ◽

High Speed ◽

Room Temperature ◽

Strain Relaxation ◽

Bipolar Transistors ◽

Sige Hbt ◽

Integrated Circuit Manufacturing ◽

Microstructural Behavior

SiGe is being extensively investigated for use in heterojunction bipolar-transistors (HBT) and high-speed integrated circuits. The material offers adjustable bandgaps, improved carrier mobilities over Si homostructures, and compatibility with Si-based integrated-circuit manufacturing. SiGe HBT performance can be improved by increasing the base-doping or by widening the base link-region by ion implantation. A problem that arises however is that implantation can enhance strain-relaxation of SiGe/Si.Furthermore, once misfit or threading dislocations result, the defects can give rise to recombination-generation in depletion regions of semiconductor devices. It is of relevance therefore to study the damage and anneal behavior of implanted SiGe layers. The present study investigates the microstructural behavior of phosphorus implanted pseudomorphic metastable Si0.88Ge0.12 films on silicon, exposed to various anneals.Metastable pseudomorphic Si0.88Ge0.12 films were grown ~265 nm thick on a silicon wafer by molecular-beam epitaxy. Pieces of this wafer were then implanted at room temperature with 100 keV phosphorus ions to a dose of 1.5×1015 cm-2.

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