Correlation of laser-beam-induced current with current-voltage measurements in HgCdTe photodiodes

Abstract

Laser-beam-induced current (LBIC) is being investigated as an alternative to electrical measurements of individual photodiodes in a two-dimensional array. This is possible because LBIC only requires two electrical contacts to an array and the two-dimensional scanning of a focused laser beam across the array to image the entire array. The measured LBIC profiles, obtained from linear arrays of HgCdTe photodiodes, will be used to study the uniformity of photodiodes in the array and to extract the R₀A of the photodiodes. It will be shown that the shape of the LBIC signal is correlated to the electrical performance of the photodiode, with R₀A related to the spreading length of the photodiodes. Linear arrays of n-on-p, mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) and long wave-length infrared (LWIR) devices were formed in liquid-phase epitaxy HgCdTe epilayers using a plasma junction-formation technique. The LBIC profiles were measured on each of the devices at various temperatures. For the MWIR devices, the extracted spreading length shows no correlation with R₀A. However, the LBIC signal does detect nonuniform devices within the array. For the case of the LWIR devices, the spreading length is extracted as a function of temperature, with the R₀A subsequently calculated from the spreading length. The calculated R₀A, obtained without requiring contact to each photodiode in the array, agrees well with electrical measurements. Asymmetry of the LBIC signals for certain devices in the arrays is shown to be a result of localized leakage at the photodiode junction or from the contact pads through the passivation layers. These results are confirmed by numerical modeling of the device structures.