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Improved performance of AlGaN solar-blind avalanche photodiodes with dual multiplication layers

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Abstract

A back-illuminated separate absorption and multiplication (SAM) solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) avalanche photodiode (APD) with a low-Al-content p-graded AlxGa1-xN layer and a high/low-Al-content heterogeneous dual multiplication region is designed. An n-type insertion layer is inserted between the high/low-Al-content heterostructure dual multiplication region to adjust the polarization electric field between the dual multiplication layers. The AlGaN APD with dual multiplication layers exhibits a high hole ionization coefficient due to the existence of the low-Al-content Al0.3Ga0.7 N layer in the high/low-Al-content heterostructure multiplication region. Furthermore, the polarization effect between the high/low-Al-content AlGaN dual multiplication layers can make the polarization electric field in the dual multiplication layers consistent with the direction of the applied electric field, and the polarization doping effect of the p-type graded AlxGa1-xN layer also helps to reduce the breakdown voltage of the designed APD. The calculation results show that the avalanche multiplication gain and breakdown voltage of the AlGaN solar-blind UV APD with dual multiplication layers is 9.4 × 103 and 96.9 V, respectively. It is demonstrated that the gain of the designed APD with dual multiplication layers is 222% higher than that of the conventional APD, and the breakdown voltage is also reduced.

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The data that support the findings will be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61974056, 62174016), the Key Research and Development Program of Jiangsu Province (No. BE2020756), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20190576), Suzhou Science and Technology Project (No. SZS2020313), the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities (No. JUSRP22032), the Science and Technology Development Foundation of Wuxi (No. N20191002), and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (No. KYCY20_1769).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science, Jiangsu Provincial Research Center of Light Industrial Optoelectronic Engineering and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Jiarui Guo, Yan Gu, Xuecheng Jiang, Weiying Qian, Chun Zhu, Xiumei Zhang & Guofeng Yang

  2. Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China

    Feng Xie

  3. Wuxi Kelaiwo Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd, Wuxi, 214115, China

    Chunlei Wei

  4. Jiangsu Xinguanglian Technology Co., Ltd, Wuxi, 214192, China

    Zhijian Xie & Qi Zhang

Authors
  1. Jiarui Guo
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  2. Feng Xie
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  3. Yan Gu
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  4. Xuecheng Jiang
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  5. Chunlei Wei
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  7. Qi Zhang
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  8. Weiying Qian
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  9. Chun Zhu
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  10. Xiumei Zhang
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  11. Guofeng Yang
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Contributions

Miss Jiarui Guo, Dr. Feng Xie, and Prof. Guofeng Yang contributed to the conceptualization, Writing—original draft, and writing—review & editing of the manuscript; Dr.Yan Gu, Mr. Xuecheng Jiang, and Mr. Chunlei Wei contributed to the data curation and formal analysis of the of the manuscript; Mr. Zhijian Xie, Qi Zhang, Dr. Weiying Qiang, Chun Zhu, and Xiumei Zhang contributed to the methodology and formal analysis of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Guofeng Yang.

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Guo, J., Xie, F., Gu, Y. et al. Improved performance of AlGaN solar-blind avalanche photodiodes with dual multiplication layers. Opt Quant Electron 55, 139 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-022-04400-5

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