Reliable ICs fabricated using a production GaAs HBT process for military and commercial applications

Reliability performance of a complex analog integrated circuit (IC) fabricated using a production GaAs-AlGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) process technology is reported. Three temperature constant stress lifetest projects a median-time-to-failure of 5200 years for a monolithic five-stage logarithmic amplifier operating at a 125/spl deg/C junction temperature. This technology is currently delivering both space-qualified Class "K" ICs to major government programs and high-volume, low-cost ICs for commercial applications. In addition to reliability performance, the advantages of HBTs for analog/microwave and digital functions in communication systems are highlighted.