Photodetector Diodes

Marjan Alavi
School of Electrical
Engineering
Sharif University of
Technology
1
 Outline
Intoduction
APD
PIN Diodes
IIMPATT Devices
Applications
References

2
 Photodiode Basic
Principle
O-E Converter
The Electron-Hole Pair Give Rise
to an Electrical Current

Conduction Band
Electron

Absorption ΔE<hc/λ
E=hc/λ

Photon Hole
Valence Band

bock-bock.cisco.com/~abarbier
3
 Photodetectors
P-I-N photodiodes:
Intrinsiclayer of semiconductor between the
p-doped and n-doped side to extend the usable
area to receive photons
Avalanche Photo Diode (APD):
strongly biased (reverse biasing) pn diode
that creates many electron-hole pairs per each
photon received;
Aplifies the signal :improved sensitivity

http://hepunx.rl.ac.uk/BFROOT/ 4
 General Principles
The photogenerated current,
Iph, increases linearly with:
 The optical power Magnitude
 Ratio of Iph to the incident
optical power, Φ:
 Theresponsivity, ℜ of the
photodiode.

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The Ideal Photodiode
All the incident light would be
absorbed
The quantum efficiency would then
be unity
Minimizing reflection at the incident
surface;
Maximizing the absorption within the
depletion layer
Avoiding recombination before the
carriers are collected.
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 Basic Photodiode
Configuration
 Good linearity
 Low noise

 High frequency response

 Easy to manufacture

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 PIN Photodiode
Absorptive

p i n

InP InGaAs InP

Optical
Input

Transparent

VR

bock-bock.cisco.com/~abarbier 8
Response Time

CR time constant of
the diode
capacitance and its
load
Carrier transit time
within the diode
local recombination
time
Bandwidths exceeding
1GHz are practical.

9
Quantum Efficiency
Quantum
efficiency, η, for a
given device:
 the ratio between
Iph, measured in
electrons per
second and the
incident optical
flux, measured in
photons per
second.
 η = Iph/e ÷ Φ/εph =
(Iph/Φ).(hc/eλ) = ℜ.
(hc/eλ)
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Bandwidth
Bandwidth = 1/ ttr

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Noise

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Singal to Noise Ratio

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 PIN Sample
P+ layer: 103nm (1/4 l )
I-layer: 2µm 11(1/2 l), h=0.99
N- layer: 2µm 22(1/4 l)
Responsivity: 1.04A/W
Response time: 28.6 psec
Minimum detectable signal:
250W/cm2

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APD principle of operation
Incident photons
generate charge carriers in the depletion region
Accelerated to high speeds by an applied electric
field
Ionize atoms within the avalanche region

http://optics.org/articles 15
 APD Application
High sensitivity at high-speed
operation:
 optical communications

http://optics.org/articles
16
APD optimum operating
point
Detector's signal-
to-noise ratio is
APDs are the
preferred choice
if:
 light levels are
limited (microwatts
or nanowatts)
 A fast response (up
to gigahertz) is http://optics.org/articles
required.

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 IMPATT Diode
Impact Avalanche And Transit Time
diode
Operates in reverse-breakdown
(avalanche) region
Applied voltage causes momentary
breakdown once per cycle
This starts a pulse of current
moving through the device
Utilizes impact ionization and transfer
time delay to generate negative
resistance
Frequency depends on device 18
IMPATT Structure
High density next to
the junction
reduce E from 300-
500 for avalanche
to 15 KV/cm for
Vsat in drift region
P+ n n+ or P+ nin+

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 Static Characteristics
High Electric field (E=3 – 6 e5
V/cm)
Avalanche multiplication
Generating E/H pairs
Drift velocity
Negative resistance

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Satic Characteristics

 with proper
choice of doping
and region
width,
avalanche
region can be
entirely
contained within
region with
doping N1
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Dynamic Characteristics
Avalanche region
introduces phase shift of π
/2 in the injected carrier
density
For π<ωt<2π, carriers drift
across to n+-contact
Carriers will drift at
saturation velocity
Drift region transit time
introduces an additional
delay
Negative resistance
characteristic is observed

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 IMPATT Ossilator

http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/WBG/Device_Research/IMPATT_Diodes/

23
Critical Field

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Drift Velocity

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Ionization rates
The number of
electron-hole
pairs generated
by an
electron/hole
per unit
distance
traveled.

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 Limitations
High noise
oscillation frequency
 Limitations of semiconductor materials
Critical field, at which avalanche
breakdown occurs.
 Vmax = EcW
Saturation velocity which is the
maximum attainable velocity in
semiconductors

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 Noise - Microwave Devices

35.0
30.0
25.0
Noise 20.0
Figure
15.0
in dB
10.0
5.0
0.0

IMPATT
TUNNEL

BARITT
Bipolar

TED InP
MESFET

GaAs
TED
Devices

28
 Applications
Single Diode Waveguide Switch
Traditional electronic sources of
THz light
Receivers
Source of CW Electromagnetic
vawe

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 Applications
• Laser diode transmitters
on Port Cards inside detector
Total 570 transmitters
128 Port Cards,
• PIN diode receivers
on FTM board out in VME crates

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 References

Physics of semiconductor Devices, S. M. Sze, Bell Lab

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