Operation of SiGe HBTs Down to 70 mK

We present the first measurement results of a highly scaled, 90-nm silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor (SiGe HBT) operating at cryogenic temperatures as low as 70 mK. The SiGe HBT exhibits a transistor-like behavior down to 70 mK, but below 40 K, the transconductance suggests the presence of nonequilibrium transport mechanisms. Despite the non-ideal base current at cryogenic temperatures, a dc current gain (β) > 1 is achieved for IC> 1 nA, suggesting that ultralow-power low-noise amplifiers should be viable. Exposure of the SiGe HBT to strong magnetic fields (±14 T) is also presented to help understand the nature of the non-ideal