Origin of dark counts in In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As avalanche photodiodes operated in Geiger mode
Creators
- 1. Spectrolab Incorporated, 12500 Gladstone Avenue, Sylmar, California 91381 (United States)
- 2. IBM Almaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, California 95120-6099 (United States)
- 3. Credence Systems Corporation-DCG, 2593 Coast Avenue, Mountain View, California 94043 (United States)
- 4. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Microelectronics Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)
Description
A dark count rate in InP-based single photon counting avalanche photodiodes is a limiting factor to their efficacy. The temperature dependence of the dark count rate was studied to understand its origin in In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As separate-absorption-charge-multiplication avalanche photodiodes. The dark count rate was observed to be a very weak function of temperature in the range from 77 K to 300 K. Various mechanisms for dark count generation were considered. Simulations of band-to-band tunneling in the In0.52Al0.48As multiplication layer were found to agree well with the experimental temperature dependence of dark count rate at various excess biases. To reduce tunneling-induced dark counts, a suitable design change to the detector structure is proposed
Additional details
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1063/1.1861498;
Publishing Information
- Journal Title
- Applied Physics Letters
- Journal Volume
- 86
- Journal Issue
- 6
- Journal Page Range
- p. 063505-063505.3
- ISSN
- 0003-6951
- CODEN
- APPLAB
INIS
- Country of Publication
- United States
- Country of Input or Organization
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
- INIS RN
- 36080347
- Subject category
- S36: MATERIALS SCIENCE;
- Descriptors DEI
- ABSORPTION; ALUMINIUM ARSENIDES; COUNTING RATES; GALLIUM ARSENIDES; INDIUM ARSENIDES; INDIUM PHOSPHIDES; PHOTODETECTORS; PHOTODIODES; PHOTONS; SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS; SIMULATION; TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE; TEMPERATURE RANGE 0065-0273 K; TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K; THIN FILMS; TUNNEL EFFECT
- Descriptors DEC
- ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS; ARSENIC COMPOUNDS; ARSENIDES; BOSONS; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; FILMS; GALLIUM COMPOUNDS; INDIUM COMPOUNDS; MASSLESS PARTICLES; MATERIALS; PHOSPHIDES; PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS; PNICTIDES; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES; SORPTION; TEMPERATURE RANGE
Optional Information
- Notes
- (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics