Silicon-Gernamiumn: Carbon HBTs Are Ready For Mainstream RF BiCMOS Processes

May 29, 2000
In cooperation with Frankfurt, Germany's High Performance Microelectronics, Motorola's DigitalDNA Laboratories in Tempe, Ariz., has successfully merged the silicon-germanium: carbon (SiGe:C) process module into mainstream RF biCMOS technology. As a...

In cooperation with Frankfurt, Germany's High Performance Microelectronics, Motorola's DigitalDNA Laboratories in Tempe, Ariz., has successfully merged the silicon-germanium: carbon (SiGe:C) process module into mainstream RF biCMOS technology. As a result, conventional bipolars have been replaced with SiGe:C-based heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). This was accomplished with an fT of 48 GHz and an fMAX of 86 GHz at a VCE of 2 V. The current drawn also is notably lower than that of the traditional SiGe transistors. Typical operating current is 500 µA.

This development will enable the melding of high-performance RF functions with dense, 0.35-µm CMOS circuits on the same RF chip. The process also lets Motorola integrate high-quality passives, including inductors. No more than 28 masking steps are needed to build an RF front end.

A dual-band cellular low-noise amplifier (LNA) is presently on the drawing board. With an input bandwidth of up to 2 GHz, the high-performance single-stage LAN will achieve a noise figure of less than 1.0 dB at a 16-dB gain. A three-stage version is under development as well. Other circuits aimed at multiband, multimode RF ICs are being developed using the SiGe:C-based biCMOS process. One circuit taking advantage of the new method, an RF front end for cellular transceivers, combines an LNA and a mixer on the same die.

Samples of the RF circuits are expected in the third quarter of this year. Production is planned for early 2001.

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