Mixing characteristics of InAlAs/InGaAs metal-semiconductor-metal optoelectronic mixers

Keith Aliberti; Hongen Shen; Barry Stann; Rishabh Mehandru; Fan Ren

doi:10.1117/12.512030

21 August 2003 Mixing characteristics of InAlAs/InGaAs metal-semiconductor-metal optoelectronic mixers

Keith Aliberti, Hongen Shen, Barry Stann, Rishabh Mehandru, Fan Ren

Proceedings Volume 5086, Laser Radar Technology and Applications VIII; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.512030
Event: AeroSense 2003, 2003, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Interdigitated-finger metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors (MSM-PDs) are widely used for high-speed optoelectronic applications. Recently, GaAs MSM-PDs have been utilized as optoelectronic mixers (OEMs) in an incoherent laser radar (LADAR) system. InGaAs MSM-PDs would allow LADAR operation at eye-safe wavelengths, mainly 1.55 μm. Unfortunately, the Schottky barrier height on InGaAs is quite low (~0.1-0.2eV) leading to high dark current and, hence, low signal-to-noise ratio. To reduce dark current, the Schottky barrier is typically “enhanced” by employing a high-band-gap lattice-matched Schottky enhancement layer (SEL). Detectors using SELs yield low dark current, high responsivity, and high bandwidths. In this paper we analyze the mixing effect in InAlAs Schottky-enhanced InGaAs-based MSM-PDs. We find that the measured frequency bandwidth of such a mixer is smaller than when used as a photodetector. Moreover, the mixing efficiency depends on the light modulation and mixed signal frequencies and decreases non-linearly with decrease in optical power. This is not observed in GaAs-based and non-Schottky-enhanced InGaAs MSM-PDs. We present a circuit model of the MSM-PD OEM to explain the experimental results.

Citation Download Citation

Keith Aliberti, Hongen Shen, Barry Stann, Rishabh Mehandru, and Fan Ren "Mixing characteristics of InAlAs/InGaAs metal-semiconductor-metal optoelectronic mixers", Proc. SPIE 5086, Laser Radar Technology and Applications VIII, (21 August 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.512030

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