Silicon germanium heterojunction bipolar technology: the next leap in silicon?

SiGe heterostructure bipolar transistor (HBT) technology will allow circuit designers to combine the performance historically associated with compound semiconductor technologies such as GaAs with the integration levels, yield, and cost associated with conventional Si processing. At present, unloaded SiGe ECL circuits switch at sub20ps speeds, transistors exhibit cutoff frequencies in excess of 100GHz, and integration levels high enough to realize a 1.OGHz/1.OW 12b DAC have been achieved. SiGe HBT technology is advancing rapidly, and is nearing the point at which it can be considered a practical device technology.<
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