Dead space effect on the wavelength dependence of gain and noise in avalanche photodiodes

We extend the dead space model proposed by Hayat et al. in order to determi ne the wavelength-dependent multiplication mean gain [G(lambda)] and excess noise factor F(lambda) in the case of mixed electron and hole injection, a s it is the case when photons are absorbed within the multiplication region , We compare the predictions of the model with measurements performed on a silicon ultraviolet-selective avalanche photodiode with submicron thick mul tiplication region. We show that the multiplication gain is constant in the visible and near-infrared part of the spectrum, acid increases in the UV r ange by a factor of 1.8, Furthermore, the excess noise factor is minimal fo r UV radiation and increases rapidly for longer wavelengths. It appears tha t the extended dead space model is very adequate at predicting the gain and noise measurement results. In order to unambiguously determine the effect of the dead spare, we compare the predictions of our model with those of Mc Intyre's local noise model. The latter qualitatively describes the waveleng th dependence Of the gain, but greatly overestimates the excess noise facto r.