Proton Radiation Response of SiGe HBT Analog and RF Circuits and Passives

-We present the first experimental results of the effects of 63MeV proton irradiation on SiGe HBT analog and RF circuits and passive elements. A SiGe HBT bandgap reference circuit, commonly used to generate stable on-chip voltages in analog IC’s, a SiGe HBT voltage controlled oscillator, an key building block for RF transceivers, and an LC bandpass filter routinely used in RF circuit design, were each irradiated to proton fluences as high as 5x10 p/cm. The degradation associated with these extreme proton fluences was found to be minimal, suggesting that SiGe HBT technology is robust for these types of circuit applications.