Transient dose rate effects in silicon–germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors

Transient γ-radiation and laser-simulated experiments were carried out to investigate the transient dose rate effect (TDRE) in SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) for the first time. The results indicate that IBM43RF0100 SiGe HBTs experience a significant sensitivity of TDRE. For the laser-simulated experiment, the duration of transient current and charge collection are matched well with that of transient γ-radiation. The amplitude of transient photocurrent induced by the lower energy order of μJ approaches the transient photocurrent induced by transient γ-radiation. It is demonstrated that laser-simulated experiments are a candidate and a convenient method to evaluate the TDRE response of SiGe HBTs, which avoids serious electromagnetic interference in the transient γ-radiation environment.