Fabrication and characterization of Si-PIN photodiodes

Emre Doğanci,Aliekber Aktağ,Ercan Yilmaz,Raşit Turan,Şenol Kaya,Elif Sarigül Duman,Hüseyin Karaçali

doi:10.3906/fiz-1905-16

Abstract

In this work, characteristics of silicon-based p$^{+\, }$type, intrinsic (I), n$^{-}$ type (Si-PIN) photodiodes with active area of 3.5 $\times $ 3.5 mm$^{2}$, 5.0 $\times $ 5.0 mm$^{2}$, or 7.0 $\times $ 7.0 mm$^{2}$ and their possible usage in optoelectronics were studied. The devices were fabricated in the Radiation Detector Application and Research Center (NURDAM) of Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University, Turkey. To acquire the device specifications, the current-voltage (I-V) and the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements were carried out in the photoconductive mode. Quantum efficiency and spectral responsivity measurements were performed in the photovoltaic mode. Both measurements were carried out in a dark environment at room temperature. The measured values of the dark current (I$_{dc})$ and the capacitance of photodiodes were -6.97 to -19.10 nA and 23 to 61 pF at -5 V, respectively. The quantum efficiency measurements of the devices increased up to 66%. P responsivity was found to be 0.436 $\pm $ 1 mA/W at 820 nm. The results indicate that the I$_{dc}$ current and the performance of the devices were improved. Therefore, the devices can be utilized for optoelectronics applications and commercial usage.

Highlights

Silicon PIN photodiodes are mostly utilized as semiconductor devices for microelectronic applications such as industrial electronics, military applications, radiation detectors, and line scanners for thermal neutron detection [1,2,3,4]
The measured I dc values are in good agreement with the mathematical model [11] that explains the dependency of the diffusion current to the active area of diodes and the current created in the depletion area
The breakdown voltage (V br) is determined from the voltage value corresponding to 10 μ A for each Si-PIN photodiode

Summary

Introduction

Silicon PIN photodiodes are mostly utilized as semiconductor devices for microelectronic applications such as industrial electronics, military applications, radiation detectors, and line scanners for thermal neutron detection [1,2,3,4]. The first fabrications of Si-PIN photodiodes with 3.5 × 3.5 mm 2 , 5.0 × 5.0 mm 2 , and 7.0 × 7.0 mm 2 active areas were successfully carried out by using a photomasklithographic process. Quantum efficiency and responsivity of the Si-PIN photodiodes were measured at room temperature in photovoltaic mode by PVE300 Photovoltaic EQE and IQE solution.

Results

Conclusion