Pump-probe study of ultrafast response of GaAs photocathodes grown by MOCVD and MBE

Abstract

Negative electron affinity (NEA) GaAs photocathodes have attracted a wide scope of interest because of their high quantum efficiency and low dark emission. Traditionally, fabrication of GaAs photocathodes has taken two approaches: molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Understanding the difference between these two methods in terms of device performance can help guide future device development. While past research has indicated that photocathodes grown by MOCVD generally have better spectral response and quantum efficiency, these reports are all based on steady-state analysis and measurement. There has been little prior work comparing the dynamic response of devices fabricated with different technologies. In this presentation, we report a comparative study of the ultrafast response of two gradient-doped GaAs photocathodes fabricated using two different methods, viz. MBE and MOCVD. Our approach is based on femtosecond pump-probe reflectometry (PPR), which measures the transient reflectivity of these devices upon optical excitation by femtosecond pulses. Preliminary PPR result shows that carrier build-up near photocathode surface in the MOCVD device is more efficient compared to the MBE device. A carrier-diffusion model is used to analyze photoelectron transport, accumulation, and decay in the active layer. Experiment-theory comparisons indicate a bi-exponential nature of free-electron population decay near device surface. Excellent agreement between theoretical predictions and measured data not only validates the numerical model but also allows various device parameters to be evaluated quantitatively.