BiCMOS circuitry: the best of both worlds

The growing use of BiCMOS circuits, which benefit from the combination of low CMOS power consumption and high bipolar speed, is examined. The tradeoffs that BiCMOS circuits entail and the drawbacks that have hindered their wide adoption, especially for digital applications, are discussed. The growing opportunity for BiCMOS, as CMOS ICs have become more complicated and the benefits of scaling them less pronounced and harder to realize, is noted. The three basic reasons for using BiCMOS, namely, analog compatibility, increased performance, and reduced system costs, are discussed.<
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