Silicon-Germanium (SiGe) Semiconductors

Aug 16 2013

Topics Covered

Description
Applications
Chemical Properties
Electrical Properties
Thermal, Mechanical and Optical Properties
Safety Information

Description

Silicon-germanium is a general term used for Si1-xGex alloys that consist of any molar ratio of germanium and silicon. It is manufactured on silicon wafers by using conventional silicon processing toolsets. Silicon-germanium enables faster and more efficient manufacturing of devices using smaller, less noisy circuits. It also extends the battery life of hand-held devices by consuming less power.

Applications

Silicon-germanium finds applications in the following:

  • Heterojunction bipolar transistors or CMOS transistors
  • Inexpensive safety systems for automobiles
  • Wireless voice and data handsets
  • Global positioning satellite (GPS) receivers
  • High-speed A/D and D/A converters
  • Highly integrated solution system-on-a-chip

Chemical Properties

The chemical properties of silicon-germanium are provided in the table below:

Chemical Properties
Chemical Formula SiGe
Molecular Weight 100.7265
Group Silicon – 14
Germanium - 14
Crystal Structure Diamond
Symmetry Group Oh7-Fd3m

Electrical Properties

The electrical properties of silicon-germanium are provided in the table below:

Electrical Properties
Breakdown Field <3x105 V/cm
Electron Mobility (@300 K, 0≤x≤0.3) ≈(1396-4315x) cm2/Vs
Hole Mobility (@300 K, 0≤x≤0.3) ≈(450-865x) cm2/Vs

Thermal, Mechanical and Optical Properties

The thermal, mechanical and optical properties of silicon-germanium are provided in the tables below:

Thermal Properties
Linear Thermal Expansion Coefficient (@300 K, x <0.85) (2.6 + 2.55x) x 10-6 K-1
Thermal Conductivity (@300 K, 0.2 < x <0.85) ≈(0.046 + 0.084x) W cm-1 K-1
Mechanical Properties
Density (2.329+3.493x-0.499x2)g cm-3
Surface Microhardness (1150 - 350x) kg mm-2
Optical Properties
Infrared Refractive Index (@300K) 3.42 + 0.37x + 0.22 x2

Safety Information

Safety Information
GHS Hazard Statements H261 - In contact with water releases flammable gas
H315 - Causes skin irritation
H319 - Causes serious eye irritation.
Safety Precautions P231 - Handle under inert gas
P232 - Protect from moisture
P338 - Remove contact lenses if present and easy to do. continue rinsing
P351 - Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes.

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