Impact of finger numbers on the performance of proton-radiated SiGe power HBTs at room and cryogenic temperatures

Abstract Multi-finger silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) are attractive to the radiation-intense environment. This paper investigates the performance of proton-radiated SiGe power HBTs with different finger numbers (8, 24, 40, and 80 emitter fingers) at room and cryogenic temperatures. Different proton radiation fluences (1 × 1012 p/cm2, 2 × 1013 p/cm2, and 5 × 1013 p/cm2) and ambient temperatures (300 K and 77 K) were used to study the irradiation performance of the HBTs. Results show that the number of emitter fingers has a significant impact on the performance of the SiGe power HBTs for different temperatures and irradiation conditions. Underlying mechanisms have been discussed. This study provides guidelines on designing and using SiGe power HBTs for integrated circuits in radiation environments at room and cryogenic temperatures.

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