Falcone, V. et al. (2024) Near-infrared light trapping and avalanche multiplication in silicon epitaxial microcrystals. Advanced Optical Materials, 2302568. (doi: 10.1002/adom.202302568) (Early Online Publication)
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Abstract
The chemical vapor deposition of silicon on a patterned silicon substrate leads to the formation of 3D microcrystals, which, due to their inclined top facets and high aspect ratio, produce a light-trapping effect enhancing the optical absorption in the near-infrared (NIR). In this work, it is demonstrated that Si microcrystals can form the building blocks of a new class of NIR sensitive photodetectors operating in a linear or avalanche regime. Microcrystal-based devices are designed by coupling a 2D kinetic-growth model with a Poisson drift-diffusion solver and fabricated by combining electron beam lithography and low-energy plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LEPECVD). The optoelectronic properties of microcrystal-based p–i–n photodiodes are investigated both theoretically and experimentally by means of finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations and responsivity measurements. At 1000 nm wavelength, the responsivity of microcrystal-based devices is six times higher than that of an equivalent mesa diode. Moreover, the photocurrent gains of Si microcrystals operating as an avalanche photodiode (APD), at the same wavelength, reaches 2 × 104 demonstrating the potentialities of substrate patterning, combined with epitaxial growth, for amplified photodetection applications.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | This research was funded by the European Commission (Horizon-2020FET “microSPIRE” project, ID: 766955). DJP acknowledges funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering (CiET2021∖123) |
| Status: | Early Online Publication |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Paul, Professor Douglas and Mire Dores Pulido Valente, Dr Joao |
| Authors: | Falcone, V., Barzaghi, A., Signorelli, F., Valente, J., Firoozabadi, S., Zucchetti, C., Bergamaschini, R., Ballabio, A., Bottegoni, F., Zappa, F., Montalenti, F., Miglio, L., Volz, K., Paul, D. J., Biagioni, P., Tosi, A., and Isella, G. |
| College/School: | College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering |
| Journal Name: | Advanced Optical Materials |
| Publisher: | Wiley |
| ISSN: | 2195-1071 |
| ISSN (Online): | 2195-1071 |
| Published Online: | 13 April 2024 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2024 The Authors |
| First Published: | First published in Advanced Optical Materials 2024 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons license |
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