Self-powered solar-blind photodiodes based on EFG-grown(100)-dominant β-Ga_(2)O_(3) substrate

We report the edge-defined-film-fed(EFG)-grown β-Ga_(2)O_(3)-based Schottky photodiodes.The device has a reverse leakage current of ~nA and a rectified ratio of ~10^(4) at ±5 V.In addition,the photodiode detector shows a dark current of 0.3 pA,a photo-responsivity(R) of 2.875 mA/W,a special detectivity(D*) of 10^(10) Jones,and an external quantum efficiency(EQE) of 1.4% at zero bias,illustrating a self-powered operation.This work may advance the development of the Ga_(2)O_(3)-based Schottky diode solar-blind photodetectors.

Research on the correlation between the dual diffusion behavior of zinc in InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche photodiodes and device performance

The development of InGaAs/InP single-photon avalanche photodiodes(SPADs)necessitates the utiliza-tion of a two-element diffusion technique to achieve accurate manipulation of the multiplication width and the dis-tribution of its electric field.Regarding the issue of accurately predicting the depth of diffusion in InGaAs/InP SPAD,simulation analysis and device development were carried out,focusing on the dual diffusion behavior of zinc atoms.A formula of X_(j)=k√t-t_(0)+c to quantitatively predict the diffusion depth is obtained by fitting the simulated twice-diffusion depths based on a two-dimensional(2D)model.The 2D impurity morphologies and the one-dimensional impurity profiles for the dual-diffused region are characterized by using scanning electron micros-copy and secondary ion mass spectrometry as a function of the diffusion depth,respectively.InGaAs/InP SPAD devices with different dual-diffusion conditions are also fabricated,which show breakdown behaviors well consis-tent with the simulated results under the same junction geometries.The dark count rate(DCR)of the device de-creased as the multiplication width increased,as indicated by the results.DCRs of 2×10^(6),1×10^(5),4×10^(4),and 2×10^(4) were achieved at temperatures of 300 K,273 K,263 K,and 253 K,respectively,with a bias voltage of 3 V,when the multiplication width was 1.5µm.These results demonstrate an effective prediction route for accu-rately controlling the dual-diffused zinc junction geometry in InP-based planar device processing.

High-Gain N-Face AlGaN Solar-Blind Avalanche Photodiodes Using a Heterostructure as Separate Absorption and Multiplication Regions

It is well known that -nitride semiconductors can generate the magnitude of MV/cm polarization electric field which is comparable with their ionization electric fields. To take full advantage of the polarization electric field, we design an N-face AlGaN solar-blind avalanche photodiode (APD) with an Al0.45Ga0.55N/Al0.3Ga0.7N heterostructure as separate absorption and multiplication (SAM) regions. The simulation results show that the N-face APDs are more beneficial to improving the avalanche gain and reducing the avalanche breakdown voltage compared with the Ga-face APDs due to the effect of the polarization electric field. Furthermore, the Al0.45Ga0.55N/Al0.3Ga0.7N heterostructure SAM regions used in APDs instead of homogeneous Al0.45Ga0.55N SAM structure can increase significantly avalanche gain because of the increased hole ionization coefficient by using the relatively low Al-content AlGaN in the multiplication region. Meanwhile, a quarter-wave AlGaN/AlN distributed Bragg reflector structure at the bottom of the device is designed to remain a solar-blind characteristic of the heterostructure SAM-APDs.

Photonics-assisted THz wireless communication enabled by wide-bandwidth packaged backilluminated modified uni-traveling-carrier photodiode

This paper presents a wide-bandwidth back-illuminated modified uni-traveling-carrier photodiode(MUTC-PD)packaged with standard WR-5 rectangular waveguide for high-speed wireless communications.With optimized epitaxy structure and coplanar waveguide electrodes,the fabricated 4-μm-diameter PD exhibits ultra-flat frequency response and high saturation power.Integrated passive circuits including low-loss bias-tee and E-plane probe are designed to package the PD into a compact module with waveguide output.The packaged PD module has demonstrated a flat frequency response with fluctuations within±2.75 d B over a broadband of 140–220 GHz and a high saturated output power of-7.8 d Bm(166μW)at 140 GHz.For wireless communication applications,the packaged PD is used to implement 1-m free space transmission at carrier frequencies of 150.5 and 210.5 GHz,with transmission rates of 75 and 90 Gbps,respectively.

Investigation of Ga_(2)O_(3)/diamond heterostructure solar-blind avalanche photodiode via TCAD simulation

A Ga_(2)O_(3)/diamond separate absorption and multiplication avalanche photodiode(SAM-APD)with mesa structure has been proposed and simulated.The simulation is based on an optimized Ga_(2)O_(3)/diamond heterostructure TCAD physical model,which is revised by repeated comparison with the experimental data from the literature.Since both Ga_(2)O_(3)and diamond are ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor materials,the Ga_(2)O_(3)/diamond SAM-APD shows good solar-blind detection ability,and the corresponding cutoff wavelength is about 263 nm.The doping distribution and the electric field distribution of the SAM-APD are discussed,and the simulation results show that the gain of the designed device can reach 5×10^(4)and the peak responsivity can reach a value as high as 78 A/W.

The Influence of Rapid Thermal Annealing on SiGe/Si Multiple-Quantum Wells p_-i_-n Photodiodes

The influence of thermal treatment on Si 1-x Ge x/Si multiple-quantum wells (MQW) p-i-n photodiodes has been investigated by photocurrent spectroscopy combined with X-ray double crystal diffraction.The cutoff wavelength is significantly reduced due to the Si-Ge interdiffusion and partial relaxation of the strained SiGe alloy.The values of the blue shift increase slowly with the annealing temperatures in the range of 750℃ to 850℃.However,the nonlinear changes in photocurrent intensities of the samples annealed at different temperatures have been observed,which is mainly dominated by the generation of misfit dislocations and the reduction of the point defects in the heating process.

High-Responsivity ZnS Schottky Barrier Photodiode Array for Ultraviolet Imaging

A different approach,using the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown ZnS-based Schottky photodiode technology,is applied to fabricate an 8×8 photodiode array.The micro-processing procedures of this photodiode array including standard photolithography,a number of metallisation,wet-chemical etching and SiO_2 deposition for insulation are developed.The detector is characterized to have a cutoff wavelength at 340 nm and the photo-responsivity measurements on the pixels result an ultraviolet (UV) response as high as 0.15 A/W,corresponding to an external quantum efficiency of 55% in the visible-blind spectral ranging from 400 down to 250nm.Imaging tests indicate that this array is able to capture the intensity profile of a given UV light source with reasonably good capability.

Recent progress of SiC UV single photon counting avalanche photodiodes

4H-SiC single photon counting avalanche photodiodes(SPADs)are prior devices for weak ultraviolet(UV)signal detection with the advantages of small size,low leakage current,high avalanche multiplication gain,and high quantum efficiency,which benefit from the large bandgap energy,high carrier drift velocity and excellent physical stability of 4 H-SiC semiconductor material.UV detectors are widely used in many key applications,such as missile plume detection,corona discharge,UV astronomy,and biological and chemical agent detection.In this paper,we will describe basic concepts and review recent results on device design,process development,and basic characterizations of 4 H-SiC avalanche photodiodes.Several promising device structures and uniformity of avalanche multiplication are discussed,which are important for achieving high performance of 4 HSiC UV SPADs.

Effects of high-energy proton irradiation on separate absorption and multiplication GaN avalanche photodiode

The effect of high-energy proton irradiation on GaN-based ultraviolet avalanche photodiodes(APDs) is investigated. The dark current of the GaN APD is calculated as a function of the proton energy and proton fluences. By considering the diffusion, generation–recombination, local hopping conductivity, band-to-band tunneling, and trap-assisted tunneling currents, we found that the dark current increases as the proton fluence increases, but decreases with increasing proton energy.

A Novel Optical Gate by Integration of a Photodiodeand an Electroabsorption Modulator

A compact and stable three-port optical gate has been successfully fabricated by monolithically integrating a simple photodiode and an electroabsorption modulator. The gate shows an excellent DC logic ＂and＂ function with different load resistors. Its dynamical characteristics without packaging have also been measured. We observed a dynamic extinction ratio of over 7dB with a 95012 load resistor and a 7mW control light power at 622Mbit/s.

Performance improvement of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well visible-light photodiodes by optimizing TEGa flow

The performance of an InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well（MQW） based visible-light Schottky photodiode（PD）is improved by optimizing the source flow of TEGa during In Ga N QW growth. The samples with five-pair InGaN/GaN MQWs are grown on sapphire substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. From the fabricated Schottky-barrier PDs, it is found that the smaller the TEGa flow, the lower the reverse-bias leakage is. The photocurrent can also be enhanced by depositing the In GaN QWs with using lower TEGa flow. A high responsivity of 1.94 A/W is obtained at 470 nm and -3-V bias in the PD grown with optimized TEGa flow. Analysis results show that the lower TEGa flow used for depositing In Ga N may lead to superior crystalline quality with improved InGaN/GaN interface, and less structural defects related non-radiative recombination centers formed in the MQWs.

Avalanche photodiodes on silicon photonics

Silicon photonics technology has drawn significant interest due to its potential for compact and high-performance photonic integrated circuits.The Ge-or III-V material-based avalanche photodiodes integrated on silicon photonics provide ideal high sensitivity optical receivers for telecommunication wavelengths.Herein,the last advances of monolithic and hetero-geneous avalanche photodiodes on silicon are reviewed,including different device structures and semiconductor systems.

Schottky photodiode using submicron thick diamond epilayer for flame sensing

The sensing of a flame can be performed by using wide-bandgap semiconductors, which offer a high signal-to-noise ratio since they only response the ultraviolet emission in the flame. Diamond is a robust semiconductor with a wide-bandgap of 5.5 e V, exhibiting an intrinsic solar-blindness for deep-ultraviolet(DUV) detection. In this work, by using a submicron thick boron-doped diamond epilayer grown on a type-Ib diamond substrate, a Schottky photodiode device structure- based flame sensor is demonstrated. The photodiode exhibits extremely low dark current in both forward and reverse modes due to the holes depletion in the epilayer. The photodiode has a photoconductivity gain larger than 100 and a threshold wavelength of 330 nm in the forward bias mode. CO and OH emission bands with wavelengths shorter than 330 nm in a flame light are detected at a forward voltage of-10 V. An alcohol lamp flame in the distance of 250 mm is directly detected without a focusing lens of flame light.

Design, Fabrication, and Modeling of CMOS-Compatible Double Photodiode

A double photodiode (PD) constructed by p+/N-well junction and N-well/p-sub junction was designed and fabricated in a UMC 0.18-μm CMOS process. Based on the device structure and mechanism of double PD, a novel small-signal equivalent circuit model considering the carrier transit effect and the parasitic RC time constant was presented. By this model with complete electronic components, the double PD can be incorporated in a commercial circuit simulator. The component values were extracted by fitting the measured S-parameters using simulated annealing algorithm, and a good agreement between the measurement and the simulation results was achieved. © 2017, Tianjin University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Silicon PIN photodiode applied to acquire high-frequency sampling XAFS spectra

Experimental techniques based on SR facilities have emerged with the development of synchrotron radiation(SR)sources.Accordingly,detector miniaturization has become significant for the development of SR experimental techniques.In this study,the miniaturization of a detector was achieved by coupling a commercial silicon PIN photodiode(SPPD)into a beamstop,aiming for it not only to acquire X-ray absorption fine structure(XAFS)spectra,but also to protect the subsequent two-dimensional detector from high-brilliance X-ray radiation damage in certain combination techniques.This mini SPPD detector coupled to a beamstop was used as the rear detector in both the conventional sampling scheme and novel high-frequency(HF)sampling scheme to collect the transmission XAFS spectra.Traditional ion chambers were also used to collect the transmission XAFS spectra,which were used as the reference.These XAFS spectra were quantitatively analyzed and compared;the results demonstrated that the XAFS spectra collected by this SPPD in both the conventional sampling scheme and HF sampling scheme are feasible.This study provides a new detector-selection scheme for the acquisition of the quick-scanning XAFS(QXAFS)and HF sampling XAFS spectra.The SPPD detector presented in this study can partially meet the requirements of detector miniaturization.

Analysis and simulation of lateral PIN photodiode gated by transparent electrode fabricated on fully-depleted SOI film

A novel device, lateral PIN photodiode gated by transparent electrode （LPIN PD-GTE） fabricated on fully-depleted SOI film was proposed. ITO film was adopted in the device as gate electrode to reduce the light absorption. Thin Si film was fully depleted under gate voltage to achieve low dark current and high photo4o-dark current ratio. The model of gate voltage was obtained and the numerical simulations were presented by ATLAS. Current-voltage characteristics of LPIN PD-GTE obtained in dark （dark current） and under 570 nm illumination （photo current） were studied to achieve the greatest photo-to-dark current ratio for active channel length from 2 to 12 /am. The results show that the photo-to-dark current ratio is 2.0×10^7, with dark current of around 5×10^-4 pA under VGK=0.6 V, PrN=5 mW/cm2, for a total area of 10μm×10μm in fully depleted SOI technology. Thus, the LPIN PD-GTE can be suitable for high-grade photoelectric systems such as blue DVD.

Post-processing Free Quantum Random Number Generator Based on Avalanche Photodiode Array

Quantum random number generators adopting single negligible dead time of avalanche photodiodes （APDs） photon detection have been restricted due to the non- We propose a new approach based on an APD array to improve the generation rate of random numbers significantly. This method compares the detectors＇ responses to consecutive optical pulses and generates the random sequence. We implement a demonstration experiment to show its simplicity, compactness and scalability. The generated numbers are proved to be unbiased, post-processing free, ready to use, and their randomness is verified by using the national institute of standard technology statistical test suite. The random bit generation efficiency is as high as 32.8% and the potential generation rate adopting the 32× 32 APD array is up to tens of Gbits/s.

Near-Range Large Field-of-View Three-Dimensional Photon-Counting Imaging with a Single-Pixel Si-Avalanche Photodiode

Large field-of-view（FoV） three-dimensional（3 D） photon-counting imaging is demonstrated with a single-pixel single-photon detector based on a Geiger-mode Si-avalanche photodiode. By removing the collecting lens（CL）before the detector, the FoV is expanded to ±10°. Thanks to the high detection efficiency, the signal-to-noise ratio of the imaging system is as high as 7.8 dB even without the CL when the average output laser pulse energy is about 0.45 pJ/pulse for imaging the targets at a distance of 5 m. A 3 D image overlaid with the reflectivity data is obtained according to the photon-counting time-of-flight measurement and the return photon intensity.

High-power InAlAs/InGaAs Schottky barrier photodiodes for analog microwave signal transmission

The design,manufacturing and DC and microwave characterization of high-power Schottky barrier In Al As/In Ga As back-illuminated mesa structure photodiodes are presented.The photodiodes with 10 and 15μm mesa diameters operate at≥40 and 28 GHz,respectively,have the output RF power as high as 58 m W at a frequency of 20 GHz,the DC responsivity of up to 1.08 A/W depending on the absorbing layer thickness,and a photodiode dark current as low as 0.04 n A.We show that these photodiodes provide an advantage in the amplitude-to-phase conversion factor which makes them suitable for use in highspeed analog transmission lines with stringent requirements for phase noise.

Short-wavelength infrared InAs/GaSb superlattice hole avalanche photodiode

We demonstrate two short-wavelength infrared avalanche photodiodes based on InAs/GaSb superlattice grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition.The difference between the two devices,namely,p+n-n+and p+nn-n+,is that the p+nn-n+device possesses an additional middle-doped layer to separate the multiplication region from the absorption region.By properly controlling the electric field distribution in the p+nn-n+device,an electric field of 906 kV/cm has been achieved,which is 2.6 times higher than that in the p+n-n+device.At a reverse bias of-0.1 V at 77 K,both devices show a 100%cut-off wavelength of 2.25μm.The p+n-n+and p+nn-n+show a dark current density of 1.5×10^-7 A/cm^2 and 1.8×10^-8 A/cm^2,and a peak responsivity about 0.35 A/W and 0.40 A/W at 1.5μm,respectively.A maximum multiplication gain of 55 is achieved in the p+nn-n+device while the value is only less than 2 in the p+n-n+device.Exponential nature of the gain characteristic as a function of reverse bias confirms a single carrier hole dominated impact ionization.