ECS Transactions · 2014 · 47 citations · 0 references
EngineeringElectrical EngineeringMaterials ScienceMicroelectronicsSemiconductor DevicesSemiconductor MaterialsHigh-frequency Semiconductor DevicesIntegrated Circuit DesignMicrowave Integrated CircuitsSemiconductor HeterostructuresSemiconductor PhysicsTerahertz PhotonicsBicmos TechnologyCompact Device ModelingCompact ModelingHeterojunction Bipolar TransistorsPhysics-based Device ModelingPhysics-based SimulationSilicon Germanium Bipolar TransistorTerahertz Semiconductor Devices
DOTSEVEN is a very ambitious European R&D project targeting the development of Silicon Germanium (SiGe) Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT) technologies with cut-off frequencies (f max ) of around 700 GHz. The project started in October 2012 and will end in March 2016. It is the continuation of the predecessor project DOTFIVE which succeeded to push f max of SiGe HBTs into the 500 GHz region for the first time. Besides enhancing the speed performance of the SiGe HBT drastically, the challenging task of its integration into a 130 nm BiCMOS process will be addressed too. The capabilities and benefits of the technology will be demonstrated by benchmark circuits and advanced system applications in the 0.1 to 1 THz range like THz imaging and sensing, wireless Gb/s communications and millimeter-wave radar. Process development and circuit design will be assisted by improved TCAD and physics-based device simulation and accurate compact device modeling.