Performance of a near-infrared GaAs metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector with islands

Author

Koscielniak, W.C. ; Kolbas, Robert M. ; Littlejohn, Michael A.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC, USA

Volume

9

Issue

9

fYear

1988

Firstpage

485

Lastpage

487

Abstract

A GaAs metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector with ultrasmall gold islands deposited on its photosensitive surface is described. The interdigitated detector is fabricated on a semi-insulating substrate in a MESFET-compatible technology. Responsivity as high as 1.8 A/W is obtained at 0.86 mu m and a bias voltage of 8 V. This represents over a sixfold increase with respect to responsivity of a conventional MSM photodetector. The mechanism for dark current is suggested and breakdown characteristics are presented.<>

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; gallium arsenide; infrared detectors; metal-semiconductor-metal structures; photodetectors; 0.86 micron; 8 V; Au islands; GaAs; MESFET-compatible technology; MSM photodetector; bias voltage; breakdown characteristics; interdigitated detector; mechanism for dark current; metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors; near IR photodetectors; photosensitive surface; responsivity; semi-insulating substrate; Dark current; Detectors; Gallium arsenide; Gold; MESFETs; Optical films; Photoconductivity; Photodetectors; Substrates; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Electron Device Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0741-3106

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/55.6953

Filename

6953