SiGe BiCMOS fully differential amplifier for extreme temperature range applications

Abstract

A BiCMOS fully differential amplifier was designed for use with a specified power supply of 3.3 V, requiring a 100 μA current bias and utilizing only heterojunction bipolar npn and PMOS transistors because of their demonstrated performance in both extreme temperature ranges (-180 °C to +120 °C) and radiation-rich environments. One unique feature of this design is that two common-mode feedback circuits were employed to control both the input stage and output stage independently. Regulating the common-mode level between the input and output stages produced better stability over temperature for each stage. Special considerations were taken in the layout to increase the immunity of latch-up and noise and decrease mismatch. The BiCMOS amplifier described successfully demonstrates the use of the commercially available IBM SiGe 5AM process to produce reliable operation in extreme temperature and radiation environments. 12

A family of CMOS analog and mixed signal circuits in SiC for high temperature electronics

“…Bulk CMOS integrated circuits designed for distributed engine controls for aerospace applications have been reported to operate at up to 200⁰C [4]. Silicon germanium (SiGe) BiCMOS integrated circuits can operate for ultra-wide temperature ranges of -180⁰C to 125⁰C [5], while silicon on insulator (SOI) electronics equipped multichip power modules have been reported at 250⁰C [6].…”

Operation of silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors with different structures at deep cryogenic temperature

“…Silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistor (SiGe HBT) technology is a promising solution for cryogenic temperature applications [1][2][3][4][5][6] due to the excellent current gain, radio frequency (RF) response and noise performance over an extremely wide range of temperature [7]. It is well known that silicon bipolar transistors are not suitable for cryogenic applications because of the heavy doping effects and carrier freeze-out at cryogenic temperature [8].…”