Hg0.4Cd0.6Te 1.55-μm avalanche photodiode noise analysis in the vicinity of resonant impact ionization connected with the spin-orbit split-off band

The authors describe the electrical and optical characterization of three Hg_1-xCd_xTe avalanche photodiodes manufactured using planar technology with composition parameter x near 0.6. This alloy composition leads to devices that are well suited for 1.55-μm detection. From the noise analysis under multiplication, the authors show the tight dependence of the ratio β/α (of the hole; and electron ionization coefficient, respectively) upon x and the ratio Δ/E_g where Δ is the spin-orbit splitting energy and E _g is the bandgap energy. It turns out that in these alloys around x=0.6, Δ is very close to the bandgap energy so β/α reaches its maximum value. Owing to this property, which is characteristic of II-VI compounds, Hg_1-xCd_xTe is a good candidate for 1.3-μm to 1.6-μm avalanche photodiodes