Silicon-on-Sapphire Technology: A Competitive Alternative for RF Systems
Author:
Publisher:
Published: 2001
Total Pages: 6
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe authors investigated the formation of high-performance, device-quality, thin-film silicon (30 to 50 nm) on sapphire (TFSOS) for application to millimeter-wave communication and sensors. The resulting TFSOS, obtained by Solid Phase Epitaxy (SPE), and the growth of strained silicon-germanium (SiGe) layers on these TFSOS demonstrated enhanced devices and integrated circuit performance not achieved previously. The authors fabricated 250-nm and 100-nm T-gated devices with noise figures as low as 0.9 dB at 2 GHz and 2.5 dB at 20 GHz, with G(sub a) of 21 dB and 7.5 dB, respectively. The 250-nm devices resulted in distributed wideband amplifiers (10-GHz bandwidth BW, world record) and tuned amplifiers (15-dB, 4-GHz BW). The 100-nm devices produced voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) (25.9-GHz), 30-GHz frequency dividers. They also obtained f(sub t) (f (sub max)) of 105 GHz (50 GHz) for n-channel and 49 GHz (116 GHz, world record) for p-MODFETs (strained Si(0.2)Ge(0.8) on a relaxed Si(0.7)Ge(0.3) hetero-structure). This paper details the investigation and provides cost comparisons with competing technologies.
