"Optimized Breakdown Probabilities in Al/sub 0.6/Ga/sub 0.4/As-GaAs Het" by Oh-Hyun Kwon, Majeed M. Hayat et al.
 

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

2004

Publisher

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)

Source Publication

IEEE Electron Device Letters

Source ISSN

0741-3106

Abstract

Recently, it has been shown that the noise characteristics of heterojunction Al/sub 0.6/Ga/sub 0.4/As-GaAs avalanche photodiodes (APDs) can be optimized by proper selection of the width of the Al/sub 0.6/Ga/sub 0.4/As layer. Similar trends have also been shown theoretically for the bandwidth characteristics. The resulting noise reduction and potential bandwidth enhancement have been attributed to the fact that the high bandgap Al/sub 0.6/Ga/sub 0.4/As layer serves to energize the injected electrons, thereby minimizing their first dead space in the GaAs layer. We show theoretically that the same optimized structures yield optimal breakdown-probability characteristics when the APD is operated in Geiger mode. The steep breakdown-probability characteristics, as a function of the excess bias, of thick multiplication regions (e.g., in a 1000-nm GaAs homojunction) can be mimicked in much thinner optimized Al/sub 0.6/Ga/sub 0.4/As-GaAs APDs (e.g., in a 40-nm Al/sub 0.6/Ga/sub 0.4/As and 200-nm GaAs structure) with the added advantage of having a reduced breakdown voltage (e.g., from 36.5 V to 13.7 V).

Comments

Accepted version. IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 25, No. 9 (2004): 599-601. DOI. © 2004 Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). Used with permission.

Majeed M. Hayat was affiliated with University of New Mexico, Albuquerque at the time of publication.

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