The optimal thickness of transmission-mode GaN photocathode

A 150-nm-thick GaN photocathode with an Mg doping concentration of 1.6× 10¹⁷cm^-3 is activated by Cs/O in ultrahigh vacuum chamber, and quantum efficiency (QE) curve of negative electron affinity transmission-mode (t-mode) GaN photocathode is obtained. The maximum QE reaches 13.0% at 290 nm. According to the t-mode QE equation solved from the diffusion equation, the QE curve is fitted. From the fitting results, the electron escape probability is 0.32, the back-interface recombination velocity is 5× 10⁴ cm·s^-1, and the electron diffusion length is 116 nm. Based on these parameters, the influence of GaN thickness on t-mode QE is simulated. The simulation shows that the optimal thickness of GaN is 90 nm, which is better than the 150-nm GaN.