A differential epitaxy SiGe:C heterojunction bipolar junction transistor (HBT) design is reported and used to study the effect of carbon on junction formation as well as the effect of lateral design parameters on ac and dc performance. The device exhibits a high current gain (beta) of 1700 and a BVCEO of 1.8 V. The peak cutoff frequency (f(T)) and maximum oscillation frequency (f(MAX)) are 73 and 17 GHz, respectively. The effect of emitter overlap on f(T) was minimal, but it had a strong impact on dc performance. LOCOS opening size strongly impacted both ac and dc performance. In addition, the effect of carbon, base cap thickness, and rapid thermal anneal (RTA) temperature on the emitter-base (E-B) junction formation was studied. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.