High-frequency and noise characteristics of advanced Si and Si/SiGe bipolar transistors

The high-frequency and noise characteristics of advanced silicon-based bipolar transistors are presented and discussed. For the design of receivers both the noise at the RF signal carrier frequency and the phase noise of the system are critical issues. The first is dominated by the high-frequency noise properties of the transistors in the first amplifying stage of the receiver, the latter is influenced by the upconversion of the low-frequency noise of the devices. Hence both important frequency regions are included in this work. Implications for circuits are given.