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Fully integrated Si/SiGe BiCMOS phototransistor: hydrodynamical simulation of the photogenerated carriers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2025

Valentin Thary Open the ORCID record for Valentin Thary [Opens in a new window] ,
Catherine Algani ,
Jean-Luc Polleux  and
Pascal Chevalier Open the ORCID record for Pascal Chevalier [Opens in a new window]
Valentin Thary*
Affiliation:
ESYCOM, CNRS, CNAM, Univ Gustave Eiffel, Paris, France Technology & Design Platform, STMicroelectronics, Crolles, France
Catherine Algani
Affiliation:
ESYCOM, CNRS, CNAM, Univ Gustave Eiffel, Paris, France
Jean-Luc Polleux
Affiliation:
ICON Photonics, Champs-sur-Marne, France
Pascal Chevalier
Affiliation:
Technology & Design Platform, STMicroelectronics, Crolles, France
*
Corresponding author: Valentin Thary; Email: valentin.thary@esiee.fr
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Abstract

This paper presents for the first time the implementation of an Si/SiGe heterojunction bipolar phototransistor (HPT) into an STMicroelectronics BiCMOS technology together with the development of hydrodynamical model that fits in a trustable manner the measured opto-microwave performance. The developed hydrodynamical model relies on a precise topology analysis of the HPT and an efficient optical absorption coefficient model. It is key to predict the optimization required for the HPT. Simulation results with responsivities of 0.92 A/W and bandwidth of 1.55 GHz are obtained at low $V_{\scriptsize{\text{CE}}}=2$ V and for small devices with $2 \times 2\,\unicode{x00B5} \text{m}^{2}$ optical window. Simulation results are used to identify the best horizontal geometry that maximizes the gain–bandwidth product of the HPT. The behavior of the photo-generated carriers in the active region of the device is investigated.

Keywords

computer-aided designmicrowave photonics
Type
Research Paper
Information
International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies , First View , pp. 1 - 8
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Copyright
© STMicroelectronics, 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with The European Microwave Association.

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