The Auger transistor

Abstract

The authors describe the properties of a heterostructure bipolar transistor (HBT) that uses Auger generation to improve the high-frequency performance. An analytic model has been used to predict the device parameters as a function of characteristic Auger length. For devices with micron-size horizontal dimensions and 1000-AA base widths, the results indicate an improvement in the maximum frequency of oscillation of nearly 50% over that of a device incorporating no Auger process and operating as a conventional HBT. It is noted that the natural evolution of high-speed and high-frequency devices toward smaller bandgaps and lower temperatures raises the possibility of implementing Auger transistors in InAs and InSb.<>