Influence of exponential-doping structure on photoemission capability of transmission-mode GaAs photocathodes

Abstract

In order to verify the actual effect of an exponential-doping structure on cathode performance, an exponential-doping structure has been applied to the preparation of the transmission-mode GaAs photocathode via molecular beam epitaxy technique. Compared with the uniform-doping photocathode, the activation and spectral response results show that the exponential-doping photocathode can achieve a higher photoemission capability. In addition, based on the revised uniform-doping and exponential-doping transmission-mode quantum yield equations, the cathode performance parameters such as electron average transport length and electron escape probability of the exponential-doping photocathode are obtained, which are greater than those of the uniform-doping one. The improvement in the cathode performance is attributed to the built-in electric field arising from this special doping structure, which effectively increases the electron transport efficiency and escape probability.