Analysis of current voltage characteristics of MWIR homojunction photodiodes for uncooled operation

Dark currents n+/ν/p+ Hg0.69Cd0.31Te mid wave infrared photodiodes were measured at room temperature. The diodes exhibited negative differential resistance at room-temperature, but with increasing leakage currents as a function of reverse bias. The current–voltage characteristics were simulated and fitted by incorporating trap assisted tunneling via traps and Shockley–Read–Hall generation recombination process due to dislocations in the carrier transport equations. The thermal suppression of carriers was simulated by taking energy level of trap (Et), trap density (Nt) and the doping concentrations of n+ and ν regions as fitting parameters. Values of Et and Nt were 0.78Eg and ∼6–9 × 1014 cm−3 respectively for most of the diodes. Variable temperature current voltage measurements on variable area diode array (VADA) structures confirmed the fact that variation in zero bias resistance area product (R0A) is related to g–r processes originating from variation in concentration and kind of defects that intersect a junction area.