Ultrafast Low-Temperature-Grown Epitaxial GaAs Photodetectors Transferred on Flexible Plastic Substrates

in IEEE Photonics Technology Letters (2005), 17(8), 1725-1727

We demonstrate low-temperature (LT)-grown GaAs photodetectors transferred on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic substrates. The LT-GaAs layer was patterned into 20 20 m2 chips, which after ... [more ▼]

We demonstrate low-temperature (LT)-grown GaAs photodetectors transferred on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic substrates. The LT-GaAs layer was patterned into 20 20 m2 chips, which after placing on the PET substrates were integrated with coplanar strip transmission lines. The devices exhibit low dark currents ( 2 10 8 A), subpicosecond photoresponse time, and signal amplitudes up to 0.9 V at the bias voltage of 80 V and under laser beam excitation power of 8 mW at 810-nm wavelength. At the highest bias ( 80 V) level, an increase of the response time (up to 1.3 ps) was observed and attributed to the influence of heating effects due to low thermal conductivity of PET. Our LT-GaAs-on-PET photodetectors withstand hundredfold mechanical bending of the substrate and are intended for applications in hybrid optoelectronic circuits fabricated on noncrystalline substrates, in terahertz imaging, and in biology-related current-excitation tests. [less ▲]

Fabrication and performance of hybrid photoconductive devices based on freestanding LT-GaAs, Ultrafast Phenomena in Semiconductors and Nanostructure Materials VIII,

in Proceedings of SPIE (2004), 5353 (2004)

We report on fabrication and high-frequency performance of our photodetectors and photomixers based on freestanding low-temperature-grown GaAs (LT-GaAs). In our experiments, the LT-GaAs/AlAs bilayers were ... [more ▼]

We report on fabrication and high-frequency performance of our photodetectors and photomixers based on freestanding low-temperature-grown GaAs (LT-GaAs). In our experiments, the LT-GaAs/AlAs bilayers were grown on 2-inch diameter, semi-insulating GaAs wafers by a molecular beam epitaxy. Next, the bilayer was patterned to form 10 × 10 μm2 to 150 × 150 μm2 structures using photolithography and ion beam etching. The AlAs layer was then selectively etched in diluted HF solution, and the LT-GaAs device was lifted from its substrate and transferred on top of a variety of substrates including Si, MgO/YBaCuO, Al2O3, and a plastic foil. Following the transfer, metallic coplanar transmission lines were fabricated on top of the LT-GaAs structure, forming a metal semiconductor-metal photodetectors or photomixer structures. Our freestanding devices exhibited above 200 V breakdown voltages and dark currents at 100 V below 3×10-7 A. Device photoresponse was measured using an electro-optic sampling technique with 100-fs-wide laser pulses at wavelengths of 810 nm and 405 nm as the excitation source. For 810-nm excitation, we measured 0.55 ps-wide electrical transients with voltage amplitudes of up to 1.3 V. The signal amplitude was a linear function of the applied voltage bias, as well as a linear function of the laser excitation power, below well-defined saturation thresholds. Output power from the freestanding photomixers was measured with two beam laser illumination experimental setup. Reported fabrication technique is suitable for the LT-GaAs integration with a range of semiconducting, superconducting, and organic materials for high-frequency hybrid optoelectronic applications. [less ▲]

Freestanding LT GaAs as a subpicosecond photoconductive switch and high-voltage photomixer

in Abstract book of 4th Symposium on Non-Stoichiometric III-V Compounds (2002), Physik Mikrostrukturierter Halbleiter 27