Inscription fees: free of charge, just mail to: thomas.zimmer@ieee.org

Abstract: In Europe, a huge effort is actually undertaken to strengthen Europe's leading edge position in integrated THZ devices, circuits and new applications. Cut-off frequencies (fmax) of up to 700 GHz will be possible thanks to the progress of SiGe HBT technology. The purpose of this full-day tutorial is to provide an insight in the physics of the SiGe-THz devices. In the first session, the fundamental equation of semiclassical transport (the Boltzmann equation) will be discussed taking into account the SiGe HBTs structure where scattering by phonons, alloy fluctuations, impurities and impact ionization is of importance. The second session is dedicated to the exploration of the save-operating-area (SOA) of SiGe-THz devices. The limiting factors such as impact ionization and self-heating will be highlighted. The afternoon sessions focus on reliability. The first one is dedicated to the presentation of degradation phenomena occurring inside SiGe-THz devices under extreme operation conditions. In the last, the reliability aware circuit design concept will be explained.