Comparative study of InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with different base surface treatments

The interesting InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with different surface passivations on the base surface are fabricated and studied. Experimentally, the HBT device with sulfur treatment passivation displays the lowest offset voltage. However, the device with a 0.02 μm-thick emitter ledge structure reveals better transistor behaviors such as higher current gain and lower base surface recombination current. In addition, it also exhibits improved thermal stability. For the reliability test, the device with a 0.02 μm-thick emitter ledge structure shows the best performance. Therefore, from experimental results, the HBT device performance could be improved by appropriate base surface treatments, e.g., sulfur passivation and emitter ledge structure.