In order to obtain the suitable photocathode which could be applicable for the field of ocean exploration, the p-type zinc (Zn)-doped reflection-mode GaAlAs photocathode sample using exponential-doping technique is grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition, the Al component of GaAlAs emission layer is designed to be 0.63. After the chemical etching, the photocathode samples are heated in vacuum at high-temperature of 650°C and 600°C respectively, the vacuum variation curves during the heat cleaning are measured, which correspond to the desorption of oxides in the surface of GaAlAs emission layer. The (Cs, O) activation for the photocathodes is executed after heat cleaning. Different proportion of Cs and O is performed on the different photocathode samples. The activation photocurrent curves of two samples with different heat cleaning temperature show that the GaAlAs surface treated by higher heat cleaning temperature is more sensitive to the Cs-O adsorption. The photocathode activated with the larger Cs current has a shorter time to reach the first photocurrent peak, and also obtains a bigger final photocurrent peak. According to the measured spectral response curves, it could be found that a suitable heat cleaning temperature and a moderate Cs/O current ratio are very important to prepare high performance GaAlAs photocathode. The prepared reflection-mode GaAlAs photocathodes are response to the blue-green light, and the cut-off wavelength is at about 580 nm.

Date Published: 27 November 2012
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 8555, Optoelectronic Devices and Integration IV, 85550R (27 November 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.999271

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8555:
Optoelectronic Devices and Integration IV
Xuping Zhang; Hai Ming; Joel M. Therrien, Editor(s)