Positive temperature dependence of the electron impact ionization coefficient in In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As/InP HBTs

Impact ionization is a major limiting factor to the maximum operating voltage of InGaAs-based, high-speed transistors. In this work, data on the positive temperature dependence of the electron impact ionization coefficient /spl alpha//sub n/ in In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As at medium-low electric fields are reported for the first time. The increase of /spl alpha//sub n/ with temperature is opposite to the behavior normally observed in most semiconductors. This anomalous behavior implies the onset of a positive feedback between power dissipation and avalanche generation which may adversely affect the power handling capability of In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As-based devices, and which should be taken into account in device thermal modeling. In the experimental procedure, based on the measurement of the multiplication factor M-1 in npn In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As/InP Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (HBT), particular care has been taken in order to rule out possible spurious, temperature-dependent contributions to the measured multiplication current.