Recently we discovered a signal amplification mechanism to amplify photocurrent with high efficiency and low noise. Unlike conventional impact ionization used in avalanche photodetectors, the new amplification mechanism can produce high (>1000) gain with very low excess noise factor (<2 for Si) under very low bias voltage (3V). The new amplification mechanism offers a promising solution for light detection for Si-photonics, imaging, and sensing. Physics of this mechanism lies in two subsequent processes i) Auger excitation between mobile and highly localized electrons and ii) electron-phonon coupling. In this paper, experimental results are supported by the proposed physical model using simulations within density functional theory (DFT) framework.
An intrinsic signal amplification mechanism, namely cycling excitation process (CEP), has been demonstrated in a heavily doped and heavily compensated silicon p-n junction diode. The physical process amplifies photo-generated signal at low bias (<5V) and produces ultralow excess noise at least partially attributed to an internal stabilization mechanism via electron-phonon interactions. Auger excitation, which can be calculated with Fermi Golden rule and quasi pseudopotential, and localized carrier ionization by phonon absorption are considered two key processes responsible for the unique device characteristics. A partially compensated p-n junction silicon diode based on the proposed CEP principle has shown high gain of ~6000 at -5V and an excess noise factor as low as 3.5 at this gain level, measured at 635nm wavelength and 1KHz for potential imaging applications.
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