BREAKDOWN CHARACTERISTICS IN INP INGAAS AVALANCHE PHOTODIODE WITH P-I-N MULTIPLICATION LAYER STRUCTURE/

We report on the breakdown voltages in InP/InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD) experimentally and theoretically, based on the parameters of el ectric field distribution, carrier concentrations, thicknesses, and te mperatures. According to the calculation, the breakdown voltage has it s minimum point, w(0), at each carrier concentration in charge plate a nd avalanche photodiode with very thin multiplication layer width will provide high gain bandwidth product. The devices having different mul tiplication layer width showed different breakdown voltages and temper ature behaviors. We introduced newly defined temperature coefficient, gamma, and found that gamma's are linearly dependent on breakdown volt ages at each temperature. From these results, the empirical formula wh ich effectively describes the temperature dependence of breakdown volt ages was obtained. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.