Ultralow noise midwave infrared InAs–GaSb strain layer superlattice avalanche photodiode

Eye-safe midwavelength infrared InAs–GaSb strain layer superlattice p+-n−-n homojunction avalanche photodiodes (APDs) grown by solid source molecular beam epitaxy were fabricated and characterized. Maximum multiplication gain of 1800 was measured at −20V at 77K. Excess noise factors between 0.8 and 1.2 were measured up to gain of 300. Gain of 200 was measured at 120K. Exponential nature of the gain as a function of reverse bias along with low excess noise factor at higher gain confirms single carrier electron-only impact ionization in the avalanche regime. Decrease in the multiplication gain at higher temperatures correlates with standard APD characteristics.

[1]  Gérard Destefanis,et al.  Advanced MCT technologies in France , 2007, SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[2]  Christoph H. Grein,et al.  Minority carrier lifetimes in ideal InGaSb/InAs superlattices , 1992 .

[3]  Hooman Mohseni,et al.  High-performance InAs/GaSb superlattice photodiodes for the very long wavelength infrared range , 2001 .

[4]  M. Kinch,et al.  The HgCdTe electron avalanche photodiode , 2006, 2006 Digest of the LEOS Summer Topical Meetings.

[5]  Gérard Destefanis,et al.  Gain and Dark Current Characteristics of Planar HgCdTe Avalanche Photo Diodes , 2007 .

[6]  Bahaa E. A. Saleh,et al.  Effect of dead space on gain and noise in Si and GaAs avalanche photodiodes , 1992 .

[7]  John Marciniec,et al.  HgCdTe MWIR back-illuminated electron-initiated avalanche photodiode arrays , 2006, SPIE Optics + Photonics.

[8]  Jerry R. Meyer,et al.  AUGER LIFETIME ENHANCEMENT IN INAS-GA1-XINXSB SUPERLATTICES , 1994 .

[9]  Darryl L. Smith,et al.  Proposal for strained type II superlattice infrared detectors , 1987 .

[10]  Bahaa E. A. Saleh,et al.  Effect of dead space on gain and noise double-carrier-multiplication avalanche photodiodes , 1992, Optical Society of America Annual Meeting.

[11]  Yajun Wei,et al.  Type II InAs/GaSb superlattice photovoltaic detectors with cutoff wavelength approaching 32 μm , 2002 .

[12]  Jeffrey D. Beck,et al.  MWIR HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes , 2001, SPIE Optics + Photonics.

[13]  M. Razeghi,et al.  Uncooled operation of type-II InAs∕GaSb superlattice photodiodes in the midwavelength infrared range , 2005 .

[14]  Bahaa E. A. Saleh,et al.  Effect of dead space on the excess noise factor and time response of avalanche photodiodes , 1990 .

[16]  G. C. Osbourn,et al.  InAsSb strained‐layer superlattices for long wavelength detector applications , 1984 .

[17]  H. Ehrenreich,et al.  Long wavelength InAs/InGaSb infrared detectors: Optimization of carrier lifetimes , 1995 .

[18]  F. Ma,et al.  HgCdTe electron avalanche photodiodes , 2004 .