Minority carrier diffusion lengths and mobilities in low-doped n-InGaAs for focal plane array applications

TL;DR

This study measures minority carrier diffusion lengths and mobilities in low-doped n-InGaAs, providing new insights into their values and implications for focal plane array applications.

Contribution

It introduces a methodology for extracting diffusion lengths and mobilities in n-InGaAs, including insights into minority carrier mobility and recombination coefficients.

Findings

Diffusion lengths of 70-85 um at room temperature.

Hole mobilities of 500-750 cm2/Vs for specified doping.

Radiative recombination coefficient of (0.2-0.5)x10^-10 cm^-3s^-1.

Abstract

The hole diffusion length in n-InGaAs is extracted for two samples of different doping concentrations using a set of long and thin diffused junction diodes separated by various distances on the order of the diffusion length. The methodology is described, including the ensuing analysis which yields diffusion lengths between 70 - 85 um at room temperature for doping concentrations in the range of 5 - 9 x 10^15 cm-3. The analysis also provides insight into the minority carrier mobility which is a parameter not commonly reported in the literature. Hole mobilities on the order of 500 - 750 cm2/Vs are reported for the aforementioned doping range, which are comparable albeit longer than the majority hole mobility for the same doping magnitude in p-InGaAs. A radiative recombination coefficient of (0.5-0.2)x10^-10 cm^-3s^-1 is also extracted from the ensuing analysis for an InGaAs thickness of 2.7 um. Preliminary evidence is also given for both heavy and light hole diffusion. The dark current of InP/InGaAs p-i-n photodetectors with 25 and 15 um pitches are then calibrated to device simulations and correlated to the extracted diffusion lengths and doping concentrations. An effective Shockley-Read-Hall lifetime of between 90-200 us provides the best fit to the dark current of these structures.