An Investigation of Single-Event Effects and Potential SEU Mitigation Strategies in Fourth-Generation, 90 nm SiGe BiCMOS

The single-event effect sensitivity of fourth-generation, 90 nm SiGe HBTs is investigated. Inverse-mode, ≥1.0 Gbps SiGe digital logic using standard, unoptimized, fourth-generation SiGe HBTs is demonstrated and the inverse-mode shift register exhibited a reduction in bit-error cross section across all ion-strike LETs. Ion-strike simulations on dc calibrated, 3-D TCAD SiGe HBT models show a reduction in peak current transient magnitude and a reduction in overall transient duration for bulk SiGe HBTs operating in inverse mode. These improvements in device-level SETs are attributed to the electrical isolation of the physical emitter from the subcollector-substrate junction and the high doping in the SiGe HBT base and emitter, suggesting that SiGe BiCMOS technology scaling will drive further improvements in inverse-mode device and circuit-level SEE. Two-photon absorption experiments at NRL support the transient mechanisms described in the device-level TCAD simulations. Fully-coupled mixed-mode simulations predict large improvements in circuit-level SEU for inverse-mode SiGe HBTs in multi-Gbps, inverse-mode digital logic.