HBT modeling and circuit design for low-power mm-wave applications

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Michael Schröter
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2016 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 285829242

The increasing demand for bandwidth (and higher carrier frequency) not only in mobile devices but also in densely packed processor arrays in data servers requires power efficient operation of the associated high-frequency front-end. Recent technology developments have led to transistor power gain cut-off frequencies (fmax) of 500 GHz for SiGe HBTs and up to 1 THz for InP HBTs, while maintaining reasonable transit frequency values of 300 GHz and 560 GHz, respectively. Such technologies are enabling emerging commercial mm-wave (and even sub-mm-wave) applications in the field of communications and sensing.This project aims at utilizing the high speed of advanced HBT technologies for significantly reducing the power consumption in mm-wave circuits by operating the transistors (partially) in deep saturation. The related work will comprise the design, fabrication and measurement of low-power mm-wave circuits with emphasis on the optimization for and exploration of the minimum possible supply voltage and power dissipation for a given operating frequency (94 GHz) under the constraint of meeting at least minimum specifications for other relevant figures of merit (such as linearity, noise, gain etc.). Since for the mentioned advanced prototyping HBT technologies saturation is not being properly considered and covered by existing compact models, the circuit design work is supported by physics-based geometry scalable compact model development for both SiGe and InP HBTs. The developed model will enable the above mentioned circuit optimization and the exploration (of the possible use) of special physical effects in mm-wave circuits.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants