Concepts for on-board satellite image registration. Volume 3: Impact of VLSI/VHSIC on satellite on-board signal processing

Anticipated major advances in integrated circuit technology in the near future are described as well as their impact on satellite onboard signal processing systems. Dramatic improvements in chip density, speed, power consumption, and system reliability are expected from very large scale integration. Improvements are expected from very large scale integration enable more intelligence to be placed on remote sensing platforms in space, meeting the goals of NASA's information adaptive system concept, a major component of the NASA End-to-End Data System program. A forecast of VLSI technological advances is presented, including a description of the Defense Department's very high speed integrated circuit program, a seven-year research and development effort

High-gain AlGaAs/GaAs double heterojunction Darlington phototransistors for optical neural networks

High-gain MOCVD-grown (metal-organic chemical vapor deposition) AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs n-p-n double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) and Darlington phototransistor pairs are provided for use in optical neural networks and other optoelectronic integrated circuit applications. The reduced base doping level used results in effective blockage of Zn out-diffusion, enabling a current gain of 500, higher than most previously reported values for Zn-diffused-base DHBTs. Darlington phototransitor pairs of this material can achieve a current gain of over 6000, which satisfies the gain requirement for optical neural network designs, which advantageously may employ neurons comprising the Darlington phototransistor pairs in series with a light source

Low-Threshold Electrically Pumps Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Microlasers

Vertical-cavity electrically driven lasers with three GaInAs quantum wells and diameters of several μm exhibit room-temperature pulsed current thresholds as low as 1.3mA with 958 nm output wavelength

Temperature dependence of breakdown and avalanche multiplication in In0.53Ga0.47As diodes and heterojunction bipolar transistors

The avalanche multiplication and impact ionization coefficients in In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As p-i-n and n-i-p diodes over a range of temperature from 20-400 K were measured and shown to have negative temperature dependence. This is contrary to the positive temperature dependence of the breakdown voltage measured on InP/In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) in this and previous works. It is shown that the collector-base dark current and current gain can be the overriding influence on the temperature dependence of breakdown in InP/In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As HBTs and could explain previous anomalous interpretations from the latter

Diamond semiconductor technology for RF device applications

This paper presents a comprehensive review of diamond electronics from the RF perspective. Our aim was to find and present the potential, limitations and current status of diamond semiconductor devices as well as to investigate its suitability for RF device applications. While doing this, we briefly analysed the physics and chemistry of CVD diamond process for a better understanding of the reasons for the technological challenges of diamond material. This leads to Figure of Merit definitions which forms the basis for a technology choice in an RF device/system (such as transceiver or receiver) structure. Based on our literature survey, we concluded that, despite the technological challenges and few mentioned examples, diamond can seriously be considered as a base material for RF electronics, especially RF power circuits, where the important parameters are high speed, high power density, efficient thermal management and low signal loss in high power/frequencies. Simulation and experimental results are highly regarded for the surface acoustic wave (SAW) and field emission (FE) devices which already occupies space in the RF market and are likely to replace their conventional counterparts. Field effect transistors (FETs) are the most promising active devices and extremely high power densities are extracted (up to 30 W/mm). By the surface channel FET approach 81 GHz operation is developed. Bipolar devices are also promising if the deep doping problem can be solved for operation at room temperature. Pressure, thermal, chemical and acceleration sensors have already been demonstrated using micromachining/MEMS approach, but need more experimental results to better exploit thermal, physical/chemical and electronic properties of diamond

Proceedings of the Cold Electronics Workshop

The benefits and problems of the use of cold semiconductor electronics and the research and development effort required to bring cold electronics into more widespread use were examined

Field dependence of impact ionization coefficients in In0.53Ga0.47As

Electron and hole ionization coefficients in In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As are deduced from mixed carrier avalanche photomultiplication measurements on a series of p-i-n diode layers, eliminating other effects that can lead to an increase in photocurrent with reverse bias. Low field ionization is observed for electrons but not for holes, resulting in a larger ratio of ionization coefficients, even at moderately high electric fields than previously reported. The measured ionization coefficients are marginally lower than those of GaAs for fields above 250 kVcm/sup -1/, supporting reports of slightly higher avalanche breakdown voltages in In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As than in GaAs p-i-n diodes

Radiation effects in high speed III-V integrated circuits

The article of record as published may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S0129156403001612International Journal of High Speed Electronics and Systems, v. 13, p. 277 (2003).The types of applications affected by radiation effects in W-V devices have significantly changed over the last four decades. For most applications W-V ICs have provided sufficient radiation hardness. Some expectations for hardened soft error applications did not materialize until much later. Years of research defined that not only material properties. but device structures. layout practices and circuit design influenced how m-v devices were susceptible to certain radiation effects. The highest performance ill-V ICs due to their low power-speed energy products will provide challenges in ionizing radiation environments from sea level to space