The Impact of Scaling on the Effects of Mixed-Mode Electrical Stress and Ionizing Radiation for 130-nm and 90-nm SiGe HBTs

The impact of device scaling on the effects of mixed-mode electrical stress and ionizing radiation is assessed for third-and fourth-generation silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors (SiGe HBTs). When the devices were operating in forward-active mode, the fourth-generation technology showed better radiation tolerance but worse hot carrier degradation due to mixed-mode stress. However, when the devices were operating in inverse-active mode, the trend was the opposite and the fourth-generation technology showed worse radiation tolerance but less mixed-mode degradation.