PASSIVATION LAYER FOR GROUP III-V SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

摘要

A passivation layer for a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) is formed from a relatively high bandgap material that is lattice-matched to the HBT components it passivates. By selecting the passivation layer to have a higher bandgap than the HBT components, minority carriers are contained within the HBT by the passivation layer. At the same time, the lattice matching of the passivation layer ensures a robust bond that prevents the subsequent formation of dangling bonds at the exterior surfaces of the base and collector (and/or other passivated surfaces), thereby minimizing surface leakage currents.