The performance of long wavelength infrared (LWIR) n⁺-on-p HgCdTe photodiodes is re-examined theoretically. It is assumed that the performance of photodiodes is due to thermal generation governed by the auger mechanism. The investigations are carried out for photodiodes operated in temperature range between 300 and 50 K. The effect of doping profiles on the photodiode parameters (R_oA product, I-V characteristic, photoelectrical gain and noise) is solved by forward-condition steady-state analysis. The theoretical predictions of photodiode parameters are compared with experimental data obtained by the research group at the LETI. Excellent agreement between both types of results indicate that experimentally measured performance of n⁺-on-p HgCdTe LWIR photodiodes are determined by the auger thermal generation mechanism.

Date Published: 8 September 1995
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 2552, Infrared Technology XXI, (8 September 1995); doi: 10.1117/12.218238

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2552:
Infrared Technology XXI
Bjorn F. Andresen; Marija Strojnik, Editor(s)