On the Transient Response of a Complementary (npn + pnp) SiGe HBT BiCMOS Technology

The single-event transient (SET) response of a third-generation bulk C-SiGe ( npn + pnp) BiCMOS platform is investigated for the first time. Pulsed-laser, two-photon absorption experiments show that the pnp SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (SiGe HBT) exhibits a significant reduction in sensitive area as well as an improved transient response compared with the npn SiGe HBT. Ion-strike simulations on 3-D TCAD, C-SiGe HBT models agree with experimental findings, showing a reduction in overall transient duration and collected charge for the pnp SiGe HBT. These improvements in device-level SETs are attributed to the n-well isolation layer present in the vertical material stack of the pnp HBT. These results suggest that precision analog, RF/mm-wave, and high-speed digital applications utilizing unhardened, high-performance bulk pnp SiGe HBTs should benefit from an inherently improved SEE response.