Characteristics of SiGe Thin Film Resistors in SiGe ICs

SiGe integrated circuits are being used in the field of high-speed wire/wireless communications and microwave systems due to the RF/high-speed analog characteristics and the easiness in the fabrication. Reducing the resistance variation in SiGe thin film resistors results in enhancing the reliability of integrated circuits. In this paper, we investigate the causes that generate the resistance nonuniformity after the silicon-based thin film resistor was fabricated, and consider the counter plan against that. Because the Ti-B precipitate, which formed during the silicide process of the SiGe thin film resistor, gives rise to the nonuniformity of SiGe resistors, the boron ions should be implanted as many as possible. In addition, the resistance deviation increases as the size of the contact hole that interconnects the SiGe resistor and the metal line decreases. Therefore, the size of the contact hole must be enlarged in order to reduce the resistance deviation.