Observation of relaxation time of surface charge limit for InGaN photocathodes with negative electron affinity

Abstract

A thin p-type InGaN with a negative electron affinity (NEA) surface was used to measure the relaxation time of a surface charge limit (SCL) by irradiating rectangular laser beam pulses at changing time interval. The p-type InGaN film was grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy and the NEA activation was performed after the sample was heat cleaned. 13 nC per pulse with 10 ms width was obtained from the InGaN photocathode. The current decreased exponentially from the beginning of the pulse. The initial current value after the laser irradiation decreased with the time interval. As a result, the SCL relaxation time was estimated through the InGaN photocathode measurements at 100 ms.