Abstract
Electron transport in AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors with compositionally abrupt emitter‐base junctions is examined. Transport across the abrupt emitter‐base heterojunction is treated quantum mechanically, and the Monte Carlo technique is used to study transport through the base. Although there is a sizeable population of upper‐valley electrons in the bulk emitter, the AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction is found to favor the injection of Γ‐valley electrons into the base. This valley filtering effect enhances device performance by reducing base transit time, but quantum mechanical tunneling lowers the average energy of the injected flux which increases base transit time. The design of a heterojunction bipolar transistor for minimum base transit time involves a careful tradeoff between these competing factors. We examine the influence of varying aluminum fraction and bias on base transit time. The results suggest that a moderately doped emitter with high aluminum mole fraction produces the shortest base transit time.
Date of this Version
1989
DOI
10.1063/1.344313
Published in:
Journal of Applied Physics: Vol 66, Issue 5. 1989
Comments
Copyright (1989) American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in J. Appl. Phys. 66 (5), 1 September 1989 and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.344313. The following article has been submitted to/accepted by Journal of Applied Physics. Copyright (1989) Amitava Das and Mark Lundstrom. This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.