Abstract: A heterojunction bipolar transistor comprising a substrate; a collector on the substrate; a base layer on the collector; an emitter layer on the base layer; the emitter layer comprising an upper emitter layer and a lower emitter layer between the upper emitter layer and base; the collector, base and emitter layers being npn or pnp doped respectively; characterised in that the lower emitter layer has a larger bandgap than the base layer and is AlxIn1-xP or GaxAl1-xP, x being in the range 0+ to 1.