Sensitivity enhancement of metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors on low-temperature-grown GaAs using alloyed contacts

in IEEE Photonics Technology Letters (2008), 20(12), 1054-1056

We have fabricated and characterized metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) photodetectors based on lowtemperature-grown GaAs with alloyed (i.e., ohmic-type) contacts. The annealed contacts optimize the electric ... [more ▼]

We have fabricated and characterized metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) photodetectors based on lowtemperature-grown GaAs with alloyed (i.e., ohmic-type) contacts. The annealed contacts optimize the electric field distribution inside the photodetector structure which results in an up-to-200% responsivity increase of the devices, compared to conventional MSM detectors with standard nonalloyed (Schottky-type) metallization fabricated on identical material. The improved MSM device with alloyed contacts shows more than three times larger output amplitude at illumination with a 100-fs Ti : sapphire laser, compared to the nonalloyed devices, without degradation of detector speed. [less ▲]