Performance of InxGa1-xAsyP1-y Photodiodes with Dark Current Limited by Diffusion, Generation Recombination, and Tunneling

IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics

Volumn 17, Issue 2, 1981, Pages 217-226

  Forrest, Stephen R ^a  

^a LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES, PHOTODIODE;

EID: 0019533790     PISSN: 00189197     EISSN: 15581713     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1109/JQE.1981.1071060     Document Type: Article

References (27)

1. S. R. Forrest, M. DiDomenico, Jr., R. G. Smith, and H. J. Stocker, “Evidence for tunneling in reverse-biased III-V photodetector diodes,” Appl. Phys, Lett., vol. 36, pp. 580-582, 1980.
2. s. r. Forrest, R. F. Leheny, R. E. Nahory, and M. A. Pollack, “In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As photodiodes with dark current limited by generation-recombination and tunneling,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 37, pp. 322-324, 1980.
3. R. G. Smith and S. D. Personick, Semiconductor Devices and Optical Communications, H. Kressel, Ed. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1980, ch. 4.
4. This value is typical for InP and several InxGal -, As compounds where the photon energy is at least 5 percent larger than the bandgap energy. See, for example, R. Newman, “Optical properties of n-Type InP,” Phys. Rev., vol. 111, pp. 1518-1521, 1958;
5. R. E. Enstrom, P. J. Zanzucchi, and J. R. Appert, “Optical properties of vapor-grown InxGal, As epitaxial fiims on GaAs and InxGal, P substrates,” J. Appl. Phys., vol. 45, pp. 300-306, 1974. Apparently, comparable data on the particular alloys considered in this study are not available
6. Note, that for the punch-through device, leakage currents generated at states in the n-n + heterointerface may not be negligible. However, consideration of this contribution to the dark current is beyond the scope of this work.
7. S. M. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices. New York: Wiley, 1969.
8. This expression is somewhat different if the p-layer thickness is lessthan or on theorder of an electron diffusion length L, 5 2 pm due to reduction of the equilibrium carrier concentration from surface recombination. (See 191.)
9. Only data for electron mobilities (h)are currently available for the alloys InxGal-xAs$l-y. See, for example, P. D. Green, S.A. Wheeler, A. R. Adams, A. N. El-Sabbahy, and C. N. Ahmad, “Backgiound carrier concentration and electron mobility in LPE Inl-, Ga, AsyPl-y layers,” Appl. Phys. Lett., unl. 35, pp.78-80, 1979
10. Only data for electron mobilities (μ n) are currently available for the alloys In x Ga 1-x As y P 1-y. See, for example, P. D. Green, S. A. Wheeler, A. R. Adams, A. N. El-Sabbahy and C. N. Ahmad, “Background carrier concentration and electron mobility in LPE In 1-x Ga x As y P 1-y layers,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 35, pp. 78–80, 1979, However, tor this study we assume the hole mobility, μ p ≅ 0.05 μ n, which is approximately correct for InP and GaAs; see J, I. Pankove, Optical Processes in Semiconductors. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971.
11. A. S, Grove, Physics and Technology of Semiconductor Devices. New York: Wiley, 1967.
12. J. L. Moll, Physics of Semiconductors. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964.
13. As of this writing, the lowest doping densities apparently reported are ND ≳ 10 15 cm -3. for the quaternary, see C. A. Burrus, A. G. Dentai, and T. P. Lee, “InGaAsP PIN photodiodes with low dark. current and small capacitance,” Electron. Lett., vol. 15, pp. 655-657, 1979. for the ternary, see [15]
14. A. R. Riben and D. L. Feucht, “Electrical transport in nGe-pGaAs heterojunctions ” Int. J. Electron., vol. 20, pp. 583-599, 1966
15. Note that I diff also depends on the diffusion constant D =k/e(μ T). However, for 300 K ≤ T ≤ 350 K, μ ∝ 1/ T. See R. F. Leheny, A. A. Ballman, J. C. DeWinter, R. E. Nahory, and M. A. Pollack, “Compositional dependence of the electron mobility in In 1-x Ga x As y P 1-y,” J. Electron. Mater., vol. 9, pp. 561–568, 1980, Thus, D is roughly independent of T over the temperature range of interest.
16. T. P. Lee, C. A. Burrus, and A. G. Dentai, “InGaAsP/InP photo-diodes: Microplasma-limited avalanche multiplication at 1-1.3 μ m wavelength,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron., vol. QE-15, pp. 30-35, Jan. 1979.
17. R. F. Leheny, R. E. Nahory, and M. A. Pollack, “In 0.53 Ga 0. 47 A$ p-i-n photodiodes for long-wavelength fibre-optic systems,” Electron, Lett., vol. 15, pp. 713–715, 1979.
18. T. P. Pearsall and M. Papuchon, “The Ga 0. 47 In 0.5 3 As homojunction photodiode-A new avalanche photodetector in the near infrared between 1.0 and 1.6 μ m,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 33, pp. 640–642, 1978.
19. Y. Matsushima, K. Sakai, S. Akiba, and T. Yamamoto, “Zn-diffused In 0.53 Ga 0. 47 As/InP avalanche photodetector,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 35, pp. 466-468, 1979.
20. S. R. Forrest, I. Camlibel, Y. S. Chen, S. Singh, and H. J. Stocker, 1980, unpublished.
21. T. P. Lee, C. A. Burrus, A. G. Dentai, and K. Ogawa, “Small area InGaAs/InP p-i-n photodiodes: Fabrication, characteristics and performance of devices in 274 Mb/s and 45 Mb/s lightwave receivers at 1.3 μ m wavelength,” Electron. Lett., vol. 16, pp. 155-156, 1980.
22. T. P. Lee and C. A. Burrus, “Dark current and breakdown characteristics of dislocation free InP photodiodes,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 36, pp. 587-589, 1980.
23. K. Nishida, K. Taguchi, and Y. Matsumoto, “InGaAsP hetero-structure avalanche photodiodes with high avalanche gain,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 35, pp. 251–252, 1979.
24. F. Capasso, R. A. Logan, P. W. Foy, S. Sumski, and D. D. Manchon, “Low leakage current and saturated reverse characteristic in broad-area InGaAsP diodes,” Electron. Lett., vol. 16, pp. 241-242, 1980.
25. H. J. Stocker, R. J. Nelson, and S. R. Forrest, 1979, unpublished.
26. G. H. Olsen and H. Kressel, “Vapor-grown 1–3 μ m InGaAsP/InP avalanche photodiodes,” Electron. Lett., vol. 15, pp. 141–142, 1979.
27. Y. Takanaski and Y. Horikoshi, “InGaAsP/InP avalanche photo-diode,” Japan. J. Appl. Phys., vol. 17, pp. 2065-2066, 1978.