Transient Monte Carlo analysis and application to heterojunction bipolar transistor switching

A self-consistent simulation using the Monte Carlo ensemble particle technique for analysis of heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) transient behavior, such as switching performance, is presented. The transient Monte Carlo method has been applied to a self-consistent simulation of two HBT designs with improved collector structures for high-speed and high-frequency applications, and the results are compared with the characteristics of conventional HBTs. The simulation results indicate that the two new collector structures, the inverted field collector and the undoped collector, have better switching performance than the conventional HBT. The study of the switching characteristics´ dependence on collector-base bias voltage and collector current suggests that the inverted field HBT is the best approach in terms of switching properties. The results are supported and explained by examining electron transport properties such as overshoot velocity and energy valley occupation, as well as band bending in the collector space-charge region at different current levels