Abstract:
Double heterojunction bipolar transistors have been designed using GaAlAs and GaAs with planar structure. Five layers of collector, base, emitter, emitter contact and mask layer, a 6-µm non-doped Ga₀.₆Al₀.₄As layer, have been grown consecutively by liquid phase epitaxy on GaAs (n+) substrate. After etching the mask layer to open a region for base diffusion, the sample was earned back to the LPE furnace to grow the Zn-doped Ga₀.₆Al₀.₄As in order to diffuse Zn to the p-type base. After the process, both the diffusion layer and the mask layer were selectively etched by a HF-containing solution. Ohmic contacts to emitter, collector and base are then made. After all the processes, the transistor performances were tested. DC current gains in both normal and inverted modes depend on various parameters, such as impurity concentrations in emitter layer, base layer and collector layer including aluminium and heterojunction grading. Therefore, the effect of aluminium contents in both emitter and collector and the effect of junction gradings in both emitter-base junction and collector-base junction on the DC characteristics of the transistor were studied. Heterojunction transistors having aluminium content ranging from 0.2 to 0.35 were investigated. Both simulation and experimental results show that when the aluminium content of the emitter layer increases, the normal mode gain increases whereas the inverted mode gain decreases. It is also found that when the aluminium content of the collector layer increases, the normal mode gain decreases whereas the inverted mode gain increases. In addition, when both heterojunction gradings decrease, both of the gains would be affected. In our study, the optimum values of aluminium contents in both the emitter and the collector were found. Finally, we proposed a circuit model for the optimized structure.