Improved performance of large‐area InP/InGaAs metal‐semiconductor‐metal photodetectors by sulfur passivation

We report on sulfur based surface passivation technique for InGaAs metal‐semiconductor‐metal (MSM) photodetectors with an InP barrier enhancement layer. We show that excessive leakage current and photocurrent gain, which are the two major performance‐limiting factors in MSM detectors, can be largely suppressed by a treatment of the InP surface with ammonium polysulfide. The dark current and photocurrent characteristics of such passivated devices were monitored over a period of half a year and were found to be stable. The improved performance of the device characteristics is explained in terms of a passivation‐induced reduction of surface charging effects.

[1]  R. N. Nottenburg,et al.  Dramatic enhancement in the gain of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure bipolar transistor by surface chemical passivation , 1987 .

[2]  E. H. Bottcher,et al.  Ultrafast semiinsulating InP:Fe-InGaAs:Fe-InP:Fe MSM photodetectors: modeling and performance , 1992 .

[3]  Edward Sacher,et al.  S-passivated InP (100)-(1×1) surface prepared by a wet chemical process , 1992 .

[4]  G. Hollinger,et al.  Chemical, structural, and electronic properties of sulfur‐passivated InP(001) (2×1) surfaces treated with (NH4)2Sx , 1993 .

[5]  D. Lile,et al.  Role of polysulfides in the passivation of the InP surface , 1991 .

[6]  J. Soole,et al.  InGaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors for long wavelength optical communications , 1991 .

[7]  R. V. Ramaswamy,et al.  A study of the surface passivation on GaAs and In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As Schottky-barrier photodiodes using SiO/sub 2/, Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ and polyimide , 1988 .

[8]  S. Kang,et al.  A MODFET-based optoelectronic integrated circuit receiver for optical interconnects , 1993 .

[9]  P. Jenkins,et al.  Electronic passivation of n‐ and p‐type GaAs using chemical vapor deposited GaS , 1993 .

[10]  D. L. Lile,et al.  Sulfur as a surface passivation for InP , 1988 .

[11]  E. Sacher,et al.  Structure of Sulphur-Passivated InP(100)-(1×1) Surface , 1992 .

[12]  D. Bimberg,et al.  High-performance large-area InGaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors , 1993, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[13]  Gerard Mourou,et al.  Picosecond Electronics and Optoelectronics , 1989 .

[14]  M. Oshima,et al.  Universal Passivation Effect of (NH4)2Sx Treatment on the Surface of III-V Compound Semiconductors , 1991 .

[15]  K. Wada,et al.  Passivation of (NH4)2S‐treated GaAs surface with an As2S3 film , 1992 .