Title :
Effect of emitter-base spacing on the current gain of AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors
Author :
Lee, Won-Seong ; Ueda, Daisuke ; Ma, Tony ; Pao, Yi-ching ; Harris, J.S.
Author_Institution :
Solid State Electron. Lab., Stanford Univ., CA, USA
fDate :
5/1/1989 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
An investigation of the effect of surface recombination and emitter-base-contact spacing on the DC current-gain of AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) using thin AlGaAs emitter structures is discussed. The selectively-etched, thin-AlGaAs-emitter layer has been used to prevent an exposed extrinsic base region, which has previously limited current gain because of high surface recombination. It is found that a factor of approximately 50 improvement in the current gain can be achieved by proper surface passivation and emitter-base-contact spacing.<>
Keywords :
III-V semiconductors; aluminium compounds; amplification; electron-hole recombination; gallium arsenide; heterojunction bipolar transistors; passivation; AlGaAs-GaAs; current gain; emitter-base spacing; heterojunction bipolar transistors; selective etching; surface passivation; surface recombination; thin AlGaAs emitter structures; Digital circuits; Etching; Fabrication; Gallium arsenide; Geometry; Heterojunction bipolar transistors; Indium gallium arsenide; Laboratories; Passivation; Spontaneous emission;
Journal_Title :
Electron Device Letters, IEEE
