Submicron InP-based HBTs for Ultra-high Frequency Ampli ̄ers

Transistor bandwidths are approaching terahertz frequencies. Paramount to high speed transistor operation is submicron device scaling. High bandwidths are obtained with heterojunction bipolar transistors by thinning the base and collector layers, increasing emitter current density, decreasing emitter contact resistivity, and reducing the emitter and collector junction widths. In mesa HBTs, minimum dimensions required for the base contact impose a minimum width for the collector junction, frustrating device scaling. We have fabricated HBTs with narrow collector junctions using a substrate transfer process. HBTs with submicron collector junctions exhibit extremely high fmax and high gains in mm-wave ICs. Transferred-substrate HBTs have obtained record 21 dB unilateral power gain at 100 GHz. If extrapolated at -20 dB/decade, the power gain cuto® frequency fmax is 1.1 THz. Recently-fabricated devices have shown unbounded unilateral power gain from 40-110 GHz, and fmax cannot be extrapolated from measurements. However, these devices exhibited high power gains at 220 GHz, the frequency limit of presently available microwave network analyzers. Demonstrated ampli ̄er ICs in the technology include reactively tuned ampli ̄ers at 175 GHz, lumped and distributed ampli ̄ers with bandwidths to 85 GHz, and W-band power ampli ̄ers