Characterization of AlGaAs/GaAs Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors Using Photoreflectance and Spectral Ellipsometry

Photoreflectance spectroscopy (PR) and spectral ellipsometry (SE) have been used to characterize the doping and structure of heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT). This information provides a more complete description of the epitaxial HBT structure than is possible by relying solely on electrical characterization of specially processed test structures. Additional benefit is derived from the nondestructive nature of both SE and PR. The measurements are fast enough to be implemented on all production-bound HBT material. We describe our recent results comparing capacitance-voltage measurements with PRderived doping levels in the emitter layer of the HBT. We also describe some work comparing SE fit results with Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiles for InGaAs contact layer composition and thickness.