Staying current with HICUM

This article provides an overview on the basic operation principle of the advanced physics-based compact bipolar transistor model HICUM (high-current model), which keeps pace with the rapid progress in high-speed circuits for wireless and fiber-optic communications. HICUM uses the small-signal parameters, such as the depletion capacitances and the transit times, as basic variables, which are described accurately as a (nonlinear) function of bias, temperature, and geometry. This results in not only continuously differentiable relations for charges and transfer current but also accurate modeling of the large-signal switching behavior, including harmonic distortion at high frequencies. A few examples are presented to provide a feeling for the model's capabilities in an industrial environment.