II–VI Compound Semiconductor Avalanche Photodiodes for the Infrared Spectral Region: Opportunities and Challenges

Chee, K. -W. A.

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-20510-1_3

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…This idea was utilized in non-Markovian devices with a measured ENF < 2, which exhibited an electron-only single-carrier avalanche, in two separate device structures, namely, crystalline compound InAlAs/InAlGaAs , and HgCdTe high-density, vertically integrated APDs. , Both devices utilized thin submicron multiplicative regions, which is an integer multiple of the “dead length/space”. These low ENF non-Markovian APD devices have resulted in significant progress in the field of infrared detection with improved gain-bandwidth products . However, the non-Markovian devices until now have utilized small bandgap materials incompatible with room-temperature operation, resulting in higher leakage currents and rendering the avalanche process inimical to substantial SNR improvement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These low ENF non-Markovian APD devices have resulted in significant progress in the field of infrared detection with improved gain-bandwidth products. 30 However, the non-Markovian devices until now have utilized small bandgap materials incompatible with room-temperature operation, resulting in higher leakage currents and rendering the avalanche process inimical to substantial SNR improvement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Non-Markovian Hole Excess Noise in Avalanche Amorphous Selenium Thin Films

Mukherjee

Han

et al. 2023

ACS Omega

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Enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio in avalanche photodiodes by utilizing impact ionization gain requires materials exhibiting low excess noise factors. Amorphous selenium (a-Se) as a wide bandgap at ∼2.1 eV, a solid-state avalanche layer, demonstrates single-carrier hole impact ionization gain and manifests ultralow thermal generation rates. A comprehensive study of the history dependent and non-Markovian nature of hot hole transport in a-Se was modeled using a Monte Carlo (MC) random walk of single hole free flights, interrupted by instantaneous phonon, disorder, hole−dipole, and impact-ionization scattering interactions. The hole excess noise factors were simulated for 0.1−15 μm a-Se thin-films as a function of mean avalanche gain. The hole excess noise factors in a-Se decreases with an increase in electric field, impact ionization gain, and device thickness. The history dependent nature of branching of holes is explained using a Gaussian avalanche threshold distance distribution and the dead space distance, which increases determinism in the stochastic impact ionization process. An ultralow non-Markovian excess noise factor of ∼1 was simulated for 100 nm a-Se thin films corresponding to avalanche gains of 1000. Future detector designs can utilize the nonlocal/non-Markovian nature of the hole avalanche in a-Se, to enable a true solid-state photomultiplier with noiseless gain.

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