中国物理B ›› 2011, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (2): 28502-028502.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/20/2/028502

• INTERDISCIPLINARY PHYSICS AND RELATED AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY • 上一篇    下一篇

Numerical analysis of In0.53Ga0.47As/InP single photon avalanche diodes

周鹏1, 李淳飞1, 廖常俊2, 魏正军2, 袁书琼2   

  1. (1)Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China; (2)Laboratory of Photonic Information Technology, School for Information and Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
  • 收稿日期:2010-06-30 修回日期:2010-08-19 出版日期:2011-02-15 发布日期:2011-02-15
  • 基金资助:
    Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. G2001039302 and 007CB307001), and the Guangdong Provincial Key Technology Research and Development Program, China (Grant No. 2007B010400009).

Numerical analysis of In0.53Ga0.47As/InP single photon avalanche diodes

Zhou Peng(周鹏)a), Li Chun-Fei(李淳飞) a)†, Liao Chang-Jun(廖常俊)b), Wei Zheng-Jun(魏正军)b), and Yuan Shu-Qiong(袁书琼)b)   

  1. a Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China; b Laboratory of Photonic Information Technology, School for Information and Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
  • Received:2010-06-30 Revised:2010-08-19 Online:2011-02-15 Published:2011-02-15
  • Supported by:
    Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos. G2001039302 and 007CB307001), and the Guangdong Provincial Key Technology Research and Development Program, China (Grant No. 2007B010400009).

摘要: A rigorous theoretical model for In0.53Ga0.47As/InP single photon avalanche diode is utilized to investigate the dependences of single photon quantum efficiency and dark count probability on structure and operation condition. In the model, low field impact ionizations in charge and absorption layers are allowed, while avalanche breakdown can occur only in the multiplication layer. The origin of dark counts is discussed and the results indicate that the dominant mechanism that gives rise to dark counts depends on both device structure and operating condition. When the multiplication layer is thicker than a critical thickness or the temperature is higher than a critical value, generation--recombination in the absorption layer is the dominative mechanism; otherwise band-to-band tunneling in the multiplication layer dominates the dark counts. The thicknesses of charge and multiplication layers greatly affect the dark count and the peak single photon quantum efficiency and increasing the multiplication layer width may reduce the dark count probability and increase the peak single photon quantum efficiency. However, when the multiplication layer width exceeds 1 μ m, the peak single photon quantum efficiency increases slowly and it is finally saturated at the quantum efficiency of the single photon avalanche diodes.

Abstract: A rigorous theoretical model for In0.53Ga0.47As/InP single photon avalanche diode is utilized to investigate the dependences of single photon quantum efficiency and dark count probability on structure and operation condition. In the model, low field impact ionizations in charge and absorption layers are allowed, while avalanche breakdown can occur only in the multiplication layer. The origin of dark counts is discussed and the results indicate that the dominant mechanism that gives rise to dark counts depends on both device structure and operating condition. When the multiplication layer is thicker than a critical thickness or the temperature is higher than a critical value, generation–recombination in the absorption layer is the dominative mechanism; otherwise band-to-band tunneling in the multiplication layer dominates the dark counts. The thicknesses of charge and multiplication layers greatly affect the dark count and the peak single photon quantum efficiency and increasing the multiplication layer width may reduce the dark count probability and increase the peak single photon quantum efficiency. However, when the multiplication layer width exceeds 1 μm, the peak single photon quantum efficiency increases slowly and it is finally saturated at the quantum efficiency of the single photon avalanche diodes.

Key words: single photon avalanche diodes, gate-mode, single photon quantum efficiency, dark count probability

中图分类号:  (Semiconductor-device characterization, design, and modeling)

  • 85.30.De
85.60.Dw (Photodiodes; phototransistors; photoresistors) 85.60.Gz (Photodetectors (including infrared and CCD detectors))