A Fully-Manufacturable 0.5μm SiGe BiCMOS Technology for Wireless Power Amplifier Applications

We present for the first time a fully-manufacturable 0.5μm/3.3V SiGe BiCMOS technology that supports multiple mode (GSM/PCS/WCDMA) power amplifier applications, highlighting HBT device design, safe-operating area, and module performance. This technology features a high- breakdown transistor (BV
_CBO
> 20V), with f
_T
exceeding 25GHz, along with a suite of device elements that is fully compatible with the IBM's mature 0.5μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. PA design is discussed and hardware measurements presented demonstrating that this SiGe BiCMOS technology meets the demanding ruggedness, linearity and efficiency requirements for wireless PA applications.