On the Feasibility of few-THz Bipolar Transistors

We review the limits faced in seating of InP-based bipolar transistors for increased device bandwidth. Emitter and base contact resistivities and IC thermal resistance are the major limits to increased device bandwidth. Devices with 1-1.5 THz simultaneous f
_tau
, and f
_max
are feasible; these will enable 750 GHz monolithic amplifiers and medium-scale digital ICs at ~400-500 GHz clock rate.