The Role of the Silicon Germanium (SiGe) Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT) in Mobile Technology Platforms

NOTICES Disclaimers The findings in this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents. Citation of manufacturer's or trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use thereof. Destroy this report when it is no longer needed. Do not return it to the originator. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. Silicon germanium (SiGe) has emerged as an important semiconductor technology for mobile communications systems. Current research efforts are looking at ways of optimizing the tradeoffs of combining digital and analog circuits onto a single integrated circuit (IC) platform. SiGe technology provides the ability to reduce the form factor of software controlled radios in mobile communications platforms. As IC technology continues to shrink in size while increasing in performance, the optimization of SiGe technology will have greater influence in the mobile communications market than ever before. This report introduces application design constraints that apply to typical digital and analog circuits and why these constraints have led to digital silicon (Si) technology and analog gallium arsenide (GaAs) technology. This leads to how SiGe addresses design constraints in both of these areas and how to weigh the performance tradeoffs of digital versus analog components in a mobile communications system design.