Bs. Meyerson, Silicon : germanium-based mixed-signal technology for optimization of wired and wireless telecommunications, IBM J RES, 44(3), 2000, pp. 391-407
The need to serve the explosion in data bandwidth demand for fixed and mobi
le applications has driven transistor performance requirements beyond the r
each of conventional silicon devices. Scaling limits of silicon-based bipol
ar transistors have been encountered, confining further performance gains b
y traditional means, but cost considerations favor the continued use of sil
icon-derived technology solutions. Silicon: germanium (Si:Ge) heterojunctio
n bipolar transistors (HBTs) and subsequent generations of highly integrate
d SiGe BICMOS processes stem from long-term efforts initiated at IBM to dev
elop such a silicon-derived technology. This paper reviews the application-
driven origins of this SiGe technology, how it has evolved, and how limits
to conventional silicon bipolar scaling have enhanced its adoption in the s
emiconductor industry. Examples of the entry of this technology into commer
cial applications in the wired and wireless marketplace are discussed.