Performance of In0.53Ga0.47As/InP avalanche photodiodes

We calculate operating characteristics of high-sensitivity high-speed In0.53Ga0.47As/InP avalanche photodiodes (APD's). We find that significant photocurrent gain is obtained for a total fixed-charge density ofsigma_{tot} > 3 times 10^{12}cm^-2in the depleted InP and0.53Ga0.47As regions. To obtain high quantum efficiency and low tunneling currents, the fixed-charge density in the InP must be in the range2 times 10^{12}cm^-2leq sigma_{B} leq 3 times 10^{12}cm^-2. We calculate the breakdown voltages for APD's with uniformly doped layers and find that practical detectors with avalanche breakdowns as low as 15 V can be realized. High quantum efficiency and fast response are obtained by compositional grading of the In0.53Ga0.47As heterointerface over a distance ofL gsim 380Å, depending on the doping and amount of the In0.53Ga0.47As layer swept out at breakdown. Finally, a comparison of calculations with experimental results is presented.     

Performance of InxGa1-xAsyP1-yphotodiodes with dark current limited by diffusion, generation recombination, and tunneling

We present a theoretical study of the effects of diffusion, generation-recombination (GR), and the recently observed tunneling currents on the performance of photodiodes made from In0.73Ga0.27As0.63P0.37and In0.53Ga0.47As. Calculations are made for both p+ν and p-i-n punch-through diode configurations, and are compared with recent measurements made by several independent investigators. For doping densities typical of present material (N_{D} gsim 10^{15}cm^-3), tunneling currents become dominant prior to avalanche breakdown. Thus, for detection of weak (-55 dBm at 45 Mbits/s) optical signals, the diodes must be operated at low voltages where GR is the dominant source of reverse-biased leakage. To meet the requirements of low capacitance (C leq 0.5pF for a diode area of 10^-4cm²) and low GR dominated dark current (I_{D} leq 10nA atT = 70degC), the doping density and effective carrier lifetime (τeff) must beN_{D} < 7 times 10^{15}cm^-3andtau_{eff} gsim 150ns for In0.73Ga0.27As0.63P0.37and5 times 10^{14} lsim N_{D} lsim 7 times 10^{15}cm^-3andtau_{eff} gsim 3.5 mus for In0.53Ga0.47As.     

Substrate current in GaAs MESFET's

It is shown that the substrate current in GaAs MESFET's may be related to the electron injection into the substrate region adjacent to the high-field domain in the active layer. A simple one-dimensional calculation shows that the substrate current Isubis proportional toVmin{ds}max{1/2}andnmin{0}max{1/4}where Vdsis the drain-to-source voltage, n0is the doping density in the active layer. Atn_{0} = 10^{17}cm^-3andV_{ds} simeq 10V we estimateI_{sub} sim 50mA per millimeter gate in good agreement with experimental results.     

A fast, high-current pulsed discharge device for the inner-shell excitation of atoms and ions

We report the operation of a fast-pulsed, high-current, table-top discharge device for the excitation of large densities of energetic atomic and ionic levels. The peak current through the discharge was measured to be 16.4 kA at a current density of approximately 1.1 kA . cm^-2. A high degree of excitation of energetic states of atomic and ionic Cs by "hot" electrons in the negative glow discharge was demonstrated by population measurements and VUV emission studies. In particular, the population density in the level Cs II (5p^{5}6s) 3/2[3/2] J = 2, at 13.33 eV above the Cs II ground state, was measured to be(6 pm 4) times 10^{12}cm^-3at a measured electron density of(1.3 pm 0.5) times 10^{14}cm^-3. The population densities of energetic atomic and ionic levels examined in this work were an order of magnitude larger than those produced in previous discharge devices.     

Impact ionization in bulk GaAs high field domain

An investigation of impact ionization in the high field domains of GaAs Gunn effect devices has been carried out. A method of measuring the number of excess electrons generated per domain transit was developed, based on the measurement of the increase in the valley current from one domain transit to the next while impact ionization is occurring in the domain. This method was used to experimentally determine the carrier generation per domain transitDelta n/n_{0}as a function of excess domain potential VDfor three material carrier concentrations. These results are compared to a theoretical calculation ofDelta n/n_{0}based upon an approximate solution of the continuity equation and invariant domain calculations. The experimental and theoretical results agree to within 2 percent forn_{0} = 3 times 10^{14}cm^-3and 6 percent forn_{0} = 4 times 10^{14}cm^-3.     

Small-signal gain and saturation parameter of a transverse-flow CW oxygen-iodine laser

The small-signal gain and saturation parameter of a transverse-flow CW oxygen-iodine laser have been experimentally obtained for the first time from output power measurements made as a function of the cavity losses without using a CW probe laser. These measurements typically yieldalpha_{0} simeq 0.045m^-1andI_{s} simeq 0.44kW/cm²for a Cl2flow rate of1.4 times 10^{-3}mol/s with an I2flow rate of4 times 10^{-6}mol/s. The dependences of the small-signal gain and saturation parameter have been also found on the Cl2flow rate. These behaviors are qualitatively explained by a simple two-level model.     

Device characteristics of (Al,Ga)As lasers with Ga(As,Sb) active layers

Device characteristics of double heterostructure lasers with Al0.4Ga0.6As confinement layers and GaAs0.99Sb0.01active layers are presented. Average emission wavelengths have been increased from 0.87 μm for undoped active layers to 0.88 μm for2 times 10^{17}cm^-3Ge doped active layers with a "wash" melt preceding the growth of the active layer and to 0.89 μ for1 times 10^{18}cm^-3Mg doped active layers grown following a "wash" melt. Threshold currents for lasers from 21 wafers are examined for several growth conditions and compared with Al0.08Ga0.92As active layer devices. Device resistance, external quantum efficiency, device degradation, and pulsed and CW threshold currents as a function of temperature are also discussed.     

Radiative efficiencies of radio frequency sulfur discharges

The radiative efficiencies of RF sulfur discharges under various conditions of power loading, sulfur vapor pressure, and argon buffer pressure have been determined. The highest CW efficiency was 11 percent for a sulfur density of6.3 times 10^{16}cm^-3and 20 torr argon buffer. The results of pulsed operation show that the efficiency increases slightly to 13 percent for a sulfur density of8.8 times 10^{16}cm^-3.     

Gain spectra in GaInAsP/InP proton-bombarded stripe-geometry DH lasers

We have measured gain spectra for TE polarization in a GaInAsP/InP laser as a function of dc bias current below laser threshold. The measurements were made on a low-threshold device with a stripe geometry defined by proton bombardment. A number of other characteristics of this and similar devices from the same wafer are also reported. These data permit the maximum gain coefficient of the active layer gmaxto be evaluated as a function of nominal current density Jnom. We obtain the linear relationshipg_{max} = (3.1 times 10^{-2}/eta_{r})(J_{nom} - eta_{r} 5.4 times 10^{3}), where ηris the radiative quantum efficiency. Our data apply only for large gain (g gsim 150cm^-1) and large Jnombecause the active layer of the test device is thin (0.1 μm).     

A simplified capless annealing of GaAs for MESFET applications

A simple capless annealing technique for post-implantation annealing of a GaAs wafer is described. The technique incorporates a novel boat design and uses InAs as the source of arsenic overpressure. Using this technique, wafers annealed at 850°C show mobilities in the range of 4000 cm². V^-1. S^-1with over 85-percent activation for a Si dose of5 times 10^{12}cm^-2. Dopant depth profiles with peak donor densities of2 times 10^{17}cm^-3and minimal tailing were demonstrated. Electron channeling data show that crystallinity is fully restored during the anneal. 1-µm gate length MESFET's processed on n⁺-n implanted layers exhibitedg_{m} geq 160mS/mm and pinchoff voltages in the range of 3 V.     

Strip waveguides in LiNbO3fabricated by combined metal diffusion and ion implantation

Embedded strip waveguides in LiNbO3are fabricated by a titanium in-diffusion followed by a masked implantation of helium ions which reduces the refractive index in the unmasked regions and confines the optical wave. This technique yields waveguides with well-defined lateral dimensions and strong optical confinement. The index profiles of helium implanted LiNbO3are determined with an index reduction of more than 1 percent up to about 1 μm depth for 350 keV He+ ions at a dosePhi simeq 10^{16}cm^-2. Electrooptic devices with self-aligned electrodes are fabricated by using the implantation mask as a lift-off mask, and Mach-Zehndet type interferometers are investigated.     

The inhibition of negative resistance dipole waves and domains in n-GaAs

Expressions describing the growth and propagation of infinitesimal space-charge waves in the presence of a differential negative resistance are derived, and conditions for the inhibition of dipole waves and domains inn-GaAs of resistivity greater than 10Ω-cm at 300°K are obtained. Thermoelectric effects are estimated and found to be small for carrier densities much less than 10¹⁵cm^-3. Taking the negative differential resistivity to be larger than the ohmic resistivity by a factor of 10²leads to 1) condition for inhibition of dipole waves:nl^{2} lsim 10^{9}cm^-12) condition for inhibition of stable domains:nl lsim 10^{12}cm^-2whenn= electron density andl= specimen length. The relevance of these results to explaining the phenomena observed in amplifying crystals is pointed out. It is suggested that the condition for amplification is(frac{10^{9}}{n})^{1/2} lsim l lsim frac{10^{12}}{n}.     

4C6--Concentration and temperature dependences of spin-lattice relaxation times in ruby at helium temperatures: Relaxation in a zero magnetic field

The relaxation times T1for the grouud state levels in ruby were measured in the temperature range 4.2 to 1.6°K for the various concentrations of theCr^{3+}ionsffrom 0.05 to 0.7 percent. The dependenceT_{1}(f)of the formT_{1}^{-1}(f) = T_{1}^{-1}(0) + T_{1}^{-1}(I)f ^{n}withn simeq 2has been obtained for the different transitions. The measurements of relaxation times forpm frac{1}{2} leftrightarrow pm frac{3}{2}transition at zero magnetic field were especially aimed at establishing a form of dependenceT_{1}(f)because of the absence of the cross relaxation effects in this case. The normal temperature dependenceT_{1} propto T_{1}^{-1}has been obtained at all concentrations in comparison with anomalous dependences observed at high concentrations by some researchers.     

The Electrical and Interfacial Properties of Metal-High-$kappa$ Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors With $hbox{LaAlO}_{3}$ Gate Dielectric

$hbox{LaAlO}_{3}$ is a promising candidate for gate dielectric of future VLSI devices. In this letter, n-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors with $hbox{LaAlO}_{3}$ gate dielectric were fabricated, and the electron mobility degradation mechanisms were studied. The leakage current density is $hbox{7.6} times hbox{10}^{-5} hbox{A/cm}^{2}$ at $-!$ 1 V. The dielectric constant is 17.5. The surface-recombination velocity, the minority-carrier lifetime, and the effective capture cross section of surface states were extracted from gated-diode measurement. The rate of threshold voltage change with temperature $(Delta V_{T} / Delta T)$ from 11 K to 400 K is $-!$ 1.51 mV/K, and the electron mobility limited by surface roughness is proportional to $E_{rm eff}^{-0.66}$.      

Comparison of Auger recombination in GaInAs-AlInAs multiple quantum well structure and in bulk GaInAs

Carrier lifetime has been measured in GaInAs-AlInAs multiple quantum well structures and in thick GaInAs samples for local carrier densities between2 times 10^{17}and5 times 10^{19}cm^-3. Carrier lifetime and Auger recombination are found to be very close (±20 percent) in the two structures. The Auger limited T0values calculated for DH and MQW lasers are found to be, respectively, 93 and 170 K. Optimization of the quantum well laser as a function of the number of wells in the active region is discussed.     

Improved short-channel GaAs MESFET's by use of higher doping concentration

GaAs MESFET's with highly doped channels up to5 times 10^{18}cm^-3and with both micrometer and submicrometer gates were fabricated and evaluated. FET's with 1.2-µm gates show an extrinsic transconductance of more than 250 mS/mm, cutoff frequencies around 20 GHz, and a noise figure of 2 dB at 8 GHz with 9-dB associated gain. Breakdown voltage is higher than 6 V. FET's with 1.2- and 0.4-µm gates were simultaneously fabricated on the same wafer to investigate short-channel effects. The short-channel devices show a good saturation behavior and no shift in the threshold voltage compared to the long-channel devices thus demonstrating a pronounced alleviation of short-channel effects as experienced for1 times 10^{17}cm^-3doping levels. The influence of doping concentration on the performance of devices with micrometer and submicrometer gates upon doping concentration is investigated by detailed computer simulations. Good agreement between theoretical and experimental results is obtained. From these results improved technological approaches are pointed out.     

Excitation mechanism and plasma parameters in pulsed argon-ion lasers

Pulsed argon-ion lasers show several interesting properties at high currents. To understand the inversion mechanism, the plasma parameters, electrical conductivity, electron temperature, and electron density were measured with the double-probe method for the pressure range from 15 to 50 mtorr in a 6-mm-bore tube. When the discharge current increases from 100 to 700 amperes at the optimum pressure for laser oscillation, these parameters increase from 250 to450Omega^{-1}cdotcm^-1, from8 times 10^{4}to10^{5}degK, and2 times 10^{14}to 10¹⁵cm^-3, respectively. At the maximum electron density, the percent of ionization appears to be in excess of 100 percent, as a result of the pinch effect and double ionization. It is certain that this ring discharge is at least ionized very strongly. In a 10-mm-bore tube, only the electron temperature and density were measured. The current dependence of the laser output power at high currents is interpreted with those results. Excitation mechanisms of high-current argon-ion lasers are discussed with experiments and theories for strongly ionized plasmas.     

Optical absorption and fluorescence studies in high pressure cesium-xenon mixtures

The pressure and temperature dependent absorption and fluorescence spectra of the cesium-xenon (CsXe) molecule have been examined. In contrast to previous investigations of the alkali-rare gas molecules, cesium atomic states that have weakly allowed optical transitions have been studied and have been shown to form excimer levels that are attractive for application as potential dissociation lasers. In particular, the (Cs[7^{2}S]Xe)* excimer appears promising as a source of high-energy laser radiation due to 1) its large dissociation energy (0.132 eV), 2) its stimulated emission cross section ofsimeq10^{-17}cm², and 3) its small population threshold inversion densities (simeq10^{13}cm^-3).     

Continuously tunable sum-frequency generation involving sodium Rydberg states

Broadly tunable sum-frequency generation has been observed in a vapor of atomic sodium in the presence of a dc electric field. This field induces achi^{(2)}nonlinearity which is resonantly enhanced when the sum frequency corresponds to the energy separation between the ground state and an atomic Rydberg state. In a vapor of number density4 times 10^{14}cm^-3, we obtain an energy conversion efficiency as large as3 times 10^{-4}and achi^{(2)}as large as1.2 times 10^{-8}ESU. We have also observed sum-frequency generation in the absence of an applied dc field, and we relate these observations to mechanisms that have been proposed to explain this effect.