Focus on the Avalanche Breakdown Characteristic of Si- and InP-Based APDs Irradiated by Fast Neutrons
The Si- and InP-based APDs as the most important weak light semiconductor photodetectors to have achieved commercial success and are widely used in irradiation environments. Investigating the influencing mechanism of neutron irradiation on the above two types of APDs is of scientific and practical i...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Micromachines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/1/86 |
| _version_ | 1797438675116621824 |
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| author | Jianbin Kang Qian Li Xiang Fu Feiliang Chen Mo Li |
| author_facet | Jianbin Kang Qian Li Xiang Fu Feiliang Chen Mo Li |
| author_sort | Jianbin Kang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Si- and InP-based APDs as the most important weak light semiconductor photodetectors to have achieved commercial success and are widely used in irradiation environments. Investigating the influencing mechanism of neutron irradiation on the above two types of APDs is of scientific and practical importance. In this paper, the dark current and gain characteristics of Si- and InP-based APDs around breakdown voltage were analyzed in detail before and after irradiation. The increase of dark current and the decrease of gain were observed for both the neutron irradiated Si- and InP-based APDs. Generation centers induced by neutrons are responsible for the increased dark current. The decrease of gain can be attributed to the increase of multiplied dark current and the change of electric field distribution in APD. The Si-based APD exhibits soft breakdown with the breakdown voltage reduced by ~8 V under the neutron fluence of 1.0 × 10<sup>12</sup> cm<sup>−2</sup>, while the soft breakdown occurs along with a small change of breakdown voltage of ~1.5 V under the neutron fluence of 1.0 × 10<sup>13</sup> cm<sup>−2</sup> for InP-based APD. The difference in the change of breakdown voltage probably occurs because the Si-based APD uses p-doped Si as the multiplication layer, in which the neutron induced carrier removing effect cannot be ignored to keep the electric field distribution away from the optimal state. Therefore, using an intrinsic multiplication layer in APD is helpful to improve the neutron radiation resistance. The findings here are not only useful for the radiation hardened design of APD, but also deepen the understanding of irradiation mechanism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:40:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c8f53544164474ea3a435ed7c453043 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:40:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c8f53544164474ea3a435ed7c4530432023-11-30T23:33:01ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2022-12-011418610.3390/mi14010086Focus on the Avalanche Breakdown Characteristic of Si- and InP-Based APDs Irradiated by Fast NeutronsJianbin Kang0Qian Li1Xiang Fu2Feiliang Chen3Mo Li4Microsystem and Terahertz Research Center of Institute of Electronic Engineering, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Chengdu 610200, ChinaMicrosystem and Terahertz Research Center of Institute of Electronic Engineering, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Chengdu 610200, ChinaKey Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology and Systems, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, ChinaSchool of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, ChinaSchool of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, ChinaThe Si- and InP-based APDs as the most important weak light semiconductor photodetectors to have achieved commercial success and are widely used in irradiation environments. Investigating the influencing mechanism of neutron irradiation on the above two types of APDs is of scientific and practical importance. In this paper, the dark current and gain characteristics of Si- and InP-based APDs around breakdown voltage were analyzed in detail before and after irradiation. The increase of dark current and the decrease of gain were observed for both the neutron irradiated Si- and InP-based APDs. Generation centers induced by neutrons are responsible for the increased dark current. The decrease of gain can be attributed to the increase of multiplied dark current and the change of electric field distribution in APD. The Si-based APD exhibits soft breakdown with the breakdown voltage reduced by ~8 V under the neutron fluence of 1.0 × 10<sup>12</sup> cm<sup>−2</sup>, while the soft breakdown occurs along with a small change of breakdown voltage of ~1.5 V under the neutron fluence of 1.0 × 10<sup>13</sup> cm<sup>−2</sup> for InP-based APD. The difference in the change of breakdown voltage probably occurs because the Si-based APD uses p-doped Si as the multiplication layer, in which the neutron induced carrier removing effect cannot be ignored to keep the electric field distribution away from the optimal state. Therefore, using an intrinsic multiplication layer in APD is helpful to improve the neutron radiation resistance. The findings here are not only useful for the radiation hardened design of APD, but also deepen the understanding of irradiation mechanism.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/1/86avalanche breakdownfast neutronAPD |
| spellingShingle | Jianbin Kang Qian Li Xiang Fu Feiliang Chen Mo Li Focus on the Avalanche Breakdown Characteristic of Si- and InP-Based APDs Irradiated by Fast Neutrons Micromachines avalanche breakdown fast neutron APD |
| title | Focus on the Avalanche Breakdown Characteristic of Si- and InP-Based APDs Irradiated by Fast Neutrons |
| title_full | Focus on the Avalanche Breakdown Characteristic of Si- and InP-Based APDs Irradiated by Fast Neutrons |
| title_fullStr | Focus on the Avalanche Breakdown Characteristic of Si- and InP-Based APDs Irradiated by Fast Neutrons |
| title_full_unstemmed | Focus on the Avalanche Breakdown Characteristic of Si- and InP-Based APDs Irradiated by Fast Neutrons |
| title_short | Focus on the Avalanche Breakdown Characteristic of Si- and InP-Based APDs Irradiated by Fast Neutrons |
| title_sort | focus on the avalanche breakdown characteristic of si and inp based apds irradiated by fast neutrons |
| topic | avalanche breakdown fast neutron APD |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/14/1/86 |
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