Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-177).

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This thesis describes a unique approach of turning on and off transistor cores to reconfigure low-noise amplifiers. A small footprint single-pole, single-throw switch is optimized for low insertion loss and high isolation. A narrowband (non-switchable) LNA is developed as a basis of comparison for reconfigurable designs. The optimized switch is incorporated into different switchable transistor core architectures. These architectures are investigated to determine their ability to reconfigure amplifier performance. One switchable transistor core topology is integrated into a cascode LNA design. An in depth stability analysis employing the S-probe technique is used to help improve the reliability of the cascode design. In addition, a single-pole, double-throw transmit/receive switch, as well as a deserializer are developed to help support the LNA block in a reconfigurable phased-array radar system. This type of flexible radar design is very beneficial in challenging electromagnetic environments.

This work represents several years' research into the field of radiation hardening by design. The unique characteristics of a SiGe HBT, described in Chapter 1, make it ideally suitable for use in extreme environment applications. Chapter 2 describes the total ionizing dose effects experienced by a SiGe HBT, particularly those experienced on an Earth-orbital or lunar-surface mission. In addition, the effects of total dose are evaluated on passive devices. As opposed to the TID-hardness of SiGe transistors, a clear vulnerability to single-event effects does exist. This field is divided into three chapters. First, the very nature of single-event transients present in SiGe HBTs is explored in Chapter 3 using a heavy-ion microbeam with both bulk and SOI platforms [31]. Then, in Chapter 4, a new device-level SEU-hardening technique is presented along with circuit-design techniques necessarily for its implementation. In Chapter 5, the circuit-level radiation-hardening techniques necessarily to mitigate the effects shown in Chapter 3 are developed and tested [32]. Finally, in Chapter 6, the performance of the SiGe HBT in a cryogenic testing environment is characterized to understand how the widely-varying temperatures of outer space may affect device performance. Ultimately, the built-in performance, TID-tolerance, and now-developing SEU-hardness of the SiGe HBT make a compelling case for extreme environment electronics. The low-cost, high-yield, and maturity of Si manufacturing combine with modern bandgap engineering and modern CMOS to produce a high-quality, high-performance BiCMOS platform suitable for space-borne systems.

Using bandgap engineering, silicon-germanium (SiGe) BiCMOS technology effectively combines III-V transistor performance with the cost and integration advantages associated with CMOS manufacturing. The suitability of SiGe technology for cryogenic and radiation-intense environments is well known, yet SiGe has been generally overlooked for applications involving extreme high temperature operation. This work is an investigation into the potential capabilities of SiGe technology for operation up to 300°C, including the development of packaging and testing procedures to enable the necessary measurements. At the device level, SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), field-effect transistors (FETs), and resistors are verified to maintain acceptable functionality across the temperature range, laying the foundation for high temperature circuit design. This work also includes the characterization of existing bandgap references circuits, redesign for high temperature operation, validation, and further optimization recommendations. In addition, the performance of temperature sensor, operational amplifier, and output buffer circuits under extreme high temperature conditions is presented. To the author's knowledge, this work represents the first demonstration of functional circuits from a SiGe technology platform in ambient temperatures up to 300°C; furthermore, the optimized bandgap reference presented in this work is believed to show the best performance recorded across a 500°C range in a bulk-silicon technology platform.