Dead-space-based theory correctly predicts excess noise factor forthin GaAs and AlGaAs avalanche photodiodes

The conventional McIntyre carrier multiplication theory for avalanche photodiodes (APDs) does not adequately describe the experimental results obtained from APDs with thin multiplication-regions. Using published data for thin GaAs and Al_0.2Ga_0.8As APDs, collected from multiplication-regions of different widths, we show that incorporating dead-space in the model resolves the discrepancy. The ionization coefficients of enabled carriers that have traveled the dead space are determined as functions of the electric field, within the confines of a single exponential model for each device, independent of multiplication-region width. The model parameters are determined directly from experimental data. The use of these physically based ionization coefficients in the dead-space multiplication theory, developed earlier by Hayat et al. provide excess noise factor versus mean gain curves that accord very closely with those measured for each device, regardless of multiplication-region width. It is verified that the ratio of the dead-space to the multiplication-region width increases, for a fixed mean gain, as the width is reduced. This behavior, too, is in accord with the reduction of the excess noise factor predicted by the dead-space multiplication theory     

Short-Wave Infrared HgCdTe Avalanche Photodiodes

Short-wave infrared (SWIR) HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes (APDs) have been developed to address low-flux applications at low operating temperature and for laser detection at higher temperatures. Stable multiplication gains in excess of 200 have been observed in homojunction APDs with cutoff wavelengths down to 2.8???m and operating temperatures up to 300?K, associated with low excess noise F?<?1.3 and low 1/f noise. The measured dark current density at 200?K of 6.2???A/cm² is low enough to enable high-sensitivity single-element light detection and ranging (lidar) applications and time-of-flight imaging. Corresponding APD arrays have been hybridized on a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) designed for low-flux low-SNR imaging with low noise and frame rates higher than 1500?frames/s. Preliminary focal-plane array characterization has confirmed the nominal ROIC performance and showed pixel operability above 99.5% (pixels within ±50% of average gain). The bias dependence of the multiplication gain has been characterized as a function of temperature, cadmium composition, and junction geometry. A qualitative change in the bias dependence of the gain compared with mid-wave infrared (MWIR) HgCdTe has motivated the development of a modified local electric field model for the electron impaction ionization coefficient and multiplication gain. This model gives a close fit to the gain curves in both SWIR and MWIR APDs at temperatures between 80?K and 300?K, using two parameters that scale as a function of the energy gap and temperature. This property opens the path to quantitative predictive device simulations and to estimations of the junction geometry of APDs from the bias dependence of the gain.     

雪崩光电二极管过剩噪声的测量和抑制方法

雪崩光电二极管(APD)因为其高灵敏度和高增益带宽的优势已被广泛应用在高比特率、远程光纤通信系统中,而雪崩过程中产生的过剩噪声直接影响到APD的信噪比,因此,研究过剩噪声对APD性能的提升具有重要意义.目前,国内外测试雪崩光电二极管过剩噪声的方法主要有直接功率测量法和相敏探测法,本文对这两种测试方法和其优缺点进行了分析...     

Gain-bandwidth characteristics of thin avalanche photodiodes

The frequency-response characteristics of avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with thin multiplication layers are investigated by means of a recurrence technique that incorporates the history dependence of ionization coefficients. In addition, to characterize the autocorrelation function of the impulse response, new recurrence equations are derived and solved using a parallel computer. The mean frequency response and the gain-bandwidth product are computed and a simple model for the dependence of the gain-bandwidth product on the multiplication-layer width is set forth for GaAs, InP, Al_0.2Ga_0.8As, and In_0.52Al_0.48 As APDs. It is shown that the dead-space effect leads to a reduction (up to 30%) in the bandwidth from that predicted by the conventional multiplication theory. Notably, calculation of the power-spectral density of the photocurrent reveals that the presence of dead space also results in a reduction in the fluctuations in the frequency response. This result is the spectral generalization of the reduction in the excess noise factor in thin APDs and reveals an added advantage of using thin APDs in ultrafast receivers     

HgCdTe electron avalanche photodiodes

Exponential-gain values well in excess of 1,000 have been obtained in HgCdTe high-density, vertically integrated photodiode (HDVIP) avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with essentially zero excess noise. This phenomenon has been observed at temperatures in the range of 77–260 K for a variety of cutoff wavelengths in the mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) band, with evidence of similar behavior in other IR bands. A theory for electron avalanche multiplication has been developed using density of states and electron-interaction matrix elements associated with the unique band structure of HgCdTe, with allowances being made for the relevant scattering mechanisms of both electrons and holes at these temperatures. This theory is used to develop an empirical model to fit the experimental data obtained at DRS Infrared Technologies. The functional dependence of gain on applied bias voltage is obtained by the use of one adjustable parameter relating electron energy to applied voltage. A more quantitative physical theory requires the use of Monte Carlo techniques incorporating the preceding scattering rates and ionization probabilities. This has been performed at the University of Texas at Austin, and preliminary data indicate good agreement with DRS models for both avalanche gain and excess noise as a function of applied bias. These data are discussed with a view to applications at a variety of wavelengths.     

Effect of impact ionization in the InGaAs absorber on excess noise of avalanche photodiodes

The effects of impact ionization in the InGaAs absorption layer on the multiplication, excess noise and breakdown voltage are modeled for avalanche photodiodes (APDs), both with InP and with InAlAs multiplication regions. The calculations allow for dead space effects and for the low field electron ionization observed in InGaAs. The results confirm that impact ionization in the InGaAs absorption layer increases the excess noise in InP APDs and that the effect imposes tight constraints on the doping of the charge control layer if avalanche noise is to be minimized. However, the excess noise of InAlAs APDs is predicted to be reduced by impact ionization in the InGaAs layer. Furthermore the breakdown voltage of InAlAs APDs is less sensitive to ionization in the InGaAs layer and these results increase tolerance to doping variations in the field control layer.     

碲镉汞APD平面型PIN结构仿真设计研究

碲镉汞(HgCdTe)线性雪崩焦平面因其相对低的过剩噪声、较小的工作电压、线性可调等优点,得到了广泛关注。基于电子雪崩中波HgCdTe PIN二极管结构,开展暗电流模型和Okuto-Crowell增益模型仿真。通过改变器件材料结构参数模拟不同电压下的暗电流和增益特性。计算讨论了不同I区(本征区)厚度和载流子浓度对器件暗电流和增益的影响。结果表明结区峰值场强的变化会导致直接隧穿(BBT)电流产生率数量级上的剧烈变化;增加I区厚度和降低I区掺杂浓度可有效抑制BBT电流;增益随场强的变化趋势与BBT电流随场强的变化趋势一致;因此抑制BBT电流的措施会造成增益性能的下降,需要优化参数以获得最佳性能。综合考虑暗电流和增益性能,I区的厚度应不小于3μm,I区浓度需控制在5×10¹⁴cm^-3以下。单元中波APD的增益实验结果与仿真数据较好地吻合,表明了理论模型的正确性。     

GaN基雪崩光电二极管及其研究进展

越来越多的民用与军事对高灵敏度紫外探测的需求促进了GaN基雪崩光电二极管（APD）的快速发展。雪崩光电二极管工作在高反偏电压状态,器件内部载流子在高场下发生碰撞离化,从而使探测信号产生增益。首先对GaN基雪崩光电二极管的研究进展进行了回顾,然后重点报道了器件的增益最大可达3105,介绍了本征层厚度与器件暗电流的关系,简单介绍了正在组建的基于相敏探测的交流增益测试系统,并研究了过剩噪声与调制频率之间的关系,发现在低频波段（30~2kHz）,过剩噪声呈现1/f噪声特性。最后,对盖革模式的雪崩光电二极管的研究进展及应用前景进行了简单介绍。     

Calculation of gain and noise with dead space for GaAs and AlxGa1-xAs avalanche photodiode

It is well known that, as a result of the nonlocal nature of impact ionization, the noise of avalanche photodiodes decreases as the thickness of the multiplication region is reduced. In this paper, we present an alternative technique to calculate the gain distribution, including the dead-space effect, by numerical solution of the recursive equations. This method yields the average gain, the multiplication noise, and gain distribution curves. The results are compared with simple Monte Carlo simulation and the Z-transform technique     

Avalanche Noise Characteristics in Submicron InP Diodes

We report excess noise factors measured on a series of InP diodes with varying avalanche region thickness, covering a wide electric field range from 180 to 850 kV/cm. The increased significance of dead space in diodes with thin avalanche region thickness decreases the excess noise. An excess noise factor of F = 3.5 at multiplication factor M = 10 was measured, the lowest value reported so far for InP. The electric field dependence of impact ionization coefficients and threshold energies in InP have been determined using a non-local model to take into account the dead space effects. This work suggests that further optimization of InP separate absorption multiplication avalanche photodiodes (SAM APDs) could result in a noise performance comparable to InAlAs SAM APDs.     

Effect of dead space on gain and noise in Si and GaAs avalanchephotodiodes

The effect of dead space on the mean gain, the excess noise factor, and the avalanche breakdown voltage for Si and GaAs avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with nonuniform carrier ionization coefficients are examined. The dead space, which is a function of the electric field and position within the multiplication region of the APD, is the minimum distance that a newly generated carrier must travel in order to acquire sufficient energy to become capable of causing impact ionization. Recurrence relations in the form of coupled linear integral equations are derived to characterize the underlying avalanche multiplication process. Numerical solutions to the integral equations are obtained and the mean gain and the excess noise factor are computed     

Effect of stochastic dead space on noise in avalanche photodiodes

A stochastic dead-space model for impact ionization is developed and used to study the effect of the soft nature of the ionization capability of carriers on the excess noise factor of avalanche photodiodes. The proposed model is based on the rationale that the gradual, or soft, transition in the probability density function (PDF) for the distance from birth to impact ionization can be viewed as that resulting from uncertainty in the dead space itself. The resulting soft PDF, which is parameterized by a tunable softness parameter, is used to establish the limitations of the existing hard-threshold ionization models in ultrathin multiplication layers. Calculations show that for a fixed operational gain and fixed average dead space, the excess noise factor tends to increase as a result of the softness in the PDF in very thin multiplication layers (viz, <70 nm), or equivalently, under high applied electric fields (viz., >800 kV/cm). A method is proposed for extracting the softness parameter from noise versus multiplication measurements.     

Physics and Limitations of HgCdTe APDs: A Review

Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) made in HgCdTe have been developed for a large number of applications over the last 15 years. The developments have been motivated by exceptional gain characteristics that enables the detection of a low number of photons with close to negligible loss of information over observation times ranging from sub nanoseconds up to milliseconds. In this communication, we review the present understanding of the physics that governs the gain, noise, and response time characteristics of HgCdTe APDs. Recent data resulting from impulse response measurements are also reported that demonstrate a fast 4 GHz bandwidth response at 80 K and show the capacity to obtain bandwidths in excess of 10 GHz in such detectors.     

Impact-ionization and noise characteristics of thin III-V avalanchephotodiodes

It is, by now, well known that McIntyre's localized carrier-multiplication theory cannot explain the suppression of excess noise factor observed in avalanche photodiodes (APDs) that make use of thin multiplication regions. We demonstrate that a carrier multiplication model that incorporates the effects of dead space, as developed earlier by Hayat et al. provides excellent agreement with the impact-ionization and noise characteristics of thin InP, In_0.52 Al_0.48As, GaAs, and Al_0.2Ga_0.8As APDs, with multiplication regions of different widths. We outline a general technique that facilitates the calculation of ionization coefficients for carriers that have traveled a distance exceeding the dead space (enabled carriers), directly from experimental excess-noise-factor data. These coefficients depend on the electric field in exponential fashion and are independent of multiplication width, as expected on physical grounds. The procedure for obtaining the ionization coefficients is used in conjunction with the dead-space-multiplication theory (DSMT) to predict excess noise factor versus mean-gain curves that are in excellent accord with experimental data for thin III-V APDs, for all multiplication-region widths     

碲镉汞雪崩光电二极管近年研究及应用进展

碲镉汞雪崩光电二极管(HgCdTe APD)因其具有高增益、高带宽、高量子效率、低噪声的优良性能,在主动/被动成像、激光雷达、波前传感和光子计数等低光子探测领域有着广阔的应用前景,国外研究机构在该领域采用不同的技术路线进行了深入研究.本文阐述了APD原理及结构,重点对近年来国外相关研究进展及应用情况进行了介绍,并对国内...     

Experimental Performance and Monte Carlo Modeling of Long Wavelength Infrared Mercury Cadmium Telluride Avalanche Photodiodes

We evaluated the performance of long-wavelength infrared (LWIR, λ _c = 9.0 μm at 80 K) mercury cadmium telluride electron-injected avalanche photodiodes (e-APDs) in terms of gain, excess noise factor, and dark current, and also spectral and spatial response at zero bias. We found an exponential gain curve up to 23 at 100 K and a low excess noise factor close to unity (F = 1–1.25). These properties are indicative of a single carrier multiplication process, which is electron impact ionization. The dark current is prevailed by a diffusion current at low reverse bias. However, tunneling currents at higher reverse bias limited the usable gain. The measurements of the pixel spatial response showed that the collection width, and, especially, the amplitude of the response peak, increased with temperature. Furthermore, we developed a Monte Carlo model to understand the multiplication process in HgCdTe APDs. The first simulation results corroborated experimental measurements of gain and excess noise factor in mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR, x = 0.3) and LWIR (x = 0.235) e-APDs at 80 K. This model makes it possible for phenomenological studies to be performed to identify the main physical effects and technological parameters that influence the gain and excess noise. The study of the effect of the n ⁻-layer thickness on APD performance demonstrated the existence of an optimum value in terms of gain.     

Effect of doping concentration on avalanche multiplication and excess noise factor in submicron APD

A realistic full-band Monte Carlo (FBMC) model is applied to study the effect of doping concentration on multiplication gain and excess noise factor for electron- and hole-initiated multiplication in thin InP p⁺–i–n⁺ diodes with a range of multiplication lengths of w = 0.1 and 0.24 μm. This model predicts a reduction in excess noise factor for both electron- and hole-initiated multiplication as the doping concentration increases. Besides dead-space effect and feedback impact ionization, the electric field profile controlled by the doping concentration significantly contributes to the fall of excess noise in submicron InP p⁺–i–n⁺ diodes.     

A Monte Carlo Study of $hbox{Hg}_{0.7}hbox{Cd}_{0.3}hbox{Te}$ e-APD

A simple Monte Carlo model is developed for understanding the multiplication process in HgCdTe infrared avalanche photodiodes and the impact of physical and technological parameters. A good agreement is achieved between simulations and experimental measurements of gain and excess noise factor. In both cases, an exponential gain and extremely low noise—$F sim hbox{1}$ for multiplication gains up to 1000—were observed on 5.1-$muhbox{m}$ cutoff devices at 77 K, indicative of a single carrier impact ionization. A comparison study is presented to explain the effect of different combinations of scattering processes on the avalanche phenomenon in HgCdTe.      

碲镉汞光子计数型线性雪崩探测器(特邀)

单光子计数技术在弱信号探测和时间测距中具有重大的应用前景。自从20世纪70年代可见光的光子计数系统研发以来,国际上该领域内的研发小组在不断地发展完善光子计数技术,充分放大光子信号,以降低电子设备的读出噪声。电子倍增电荷耦合器件(Electron Multiplying Charge Coupled Devices, EMCCDs)具有更高的量子效率,可替代传统的可见光光子计数系统,但较大的雪崩噪声阻碍了倍增下入射光子数的准确获取。碲镉汞线性雪崩器件(HgCdTe APD)的过剩噪声因子接近1,几乎无过剩噪声;相对于盖革模式的雪崩器件,没有死时间和后脉冲,不需要淬灭电路,具有超高动态范围,光谱响应范围宽且可调,探测效率和误计数率可独立优化,开辟了红外波段光子计数成像的新应用领域,在天文探测、激光雷达、自由空间通信等应用中具有重要价值。美国雷神(Raytheon)公司和DRS技术公司、法国CEA/LETI实验室和Lynred公司、英国Leonardo公司先后实现了碲镉汞线性雪崩探测器的单光子计数。文中总结了欧美国家在碲镉汞光子计数型线性雪崩探测器研究方面的技术路线和研究现状,分析了吸收倍增...     

The HgCdTe electron avalanche photodiode

Electron injection avalanche photodiodes in short-wave infrared (SWIR) to long-wave infrared (LWIR) HgCdTe show gain and excess noise properties indicative of a single ionizing carrier gain process. The result is an electron avalanche photodiode (EAPD) with “ideal” APD characteristics including near noiseless gain. This paper reports results obtained on long-, mid-, and short-wave cutoff infrared Hg_1−xCd_xTe EAPDs (10 μm, 5 μm, and 2.2 μm) that use a cylindrical “p-around-n” front side illuminated n+/n-/p geometry that favors electron injection into the gain region. These devices are characterized by a uniform, exponential, gain voltage characteristic that is consistent with a hole-to-electron ionization coefficient ratio, k=α_h/α_e, of zero. Gains of greater than 1,000 have been measured in MWIR EAPDS without any sign of avalanche breakdown. Excess noise measurements on midwave infrared (MWIR) and SWIR EAPDs show a gain independent excess noise factor at high gains that has a limiting value less than 2. At 77 K, 4.3-μm cutoff devices show excess noise factors of close to unity out to gains of 1,000. A noise equivalent input of 7.5 photons at a 10-ns pulsed signal gain of 964 measured on an MWIR APD at 77 K provides an indication of the capability of this new device. The excess noise factor at room temperature on SWIR EAPDs, while still consistent with the k=0 operation, approaches a gain independent limiting value of just under 2 because of electron-phonon interactions expected at room temperature. The k=0 operation is explained by the band structure of the HgCdTe. Monte Carlo modeling based on the band structure and scattering models for HgCdTe predict the measured gain and excess noise behavior.