High-voltage two-dimensional simulations of permeable base transistors

Numerical solutions to the two-dimensional Poisson's equation and the continuity equation have been used to investigate the high-voltage performance of the permeable base transistor (PBT). The device avalanche voltage is found to be approximately 20 percent below that of the bulk material and the unity short-circuit current gain frequency f
T
is shown to decrease rapidly with increasing collector-to-emitter voltage. The PBT is well suited for use as a class C power device at frequencies well into the millimeter-wave region. Results are presented for both silicon and GaAs devices.