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Free Carrier Absorption in P-Type Epitaxial Si and GaAs Films for far-Infrared Detection

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Abstract

We report the investigation of free-carrier absorption characteristics for epitaxially grown p-type thin films in the far-infrared region (50 ∼ 200 µm), where homojunction interfacial workfunction internal photoemission (HIWIP) detectors are employed. Five Si and three GaAs thin films were grown by MBE over a range of carrier concentrations, and the experimental absorption data were compared with calculated results. The freehole absorption is found to be almost independent of the wavelength. A linear regression relationship between the absorption coefficient and the carrier concentration, in agreement with theory, has been obtained and employed to calculate the photon absorption probability in HIWIP detectors. The detector responsivity follows the quantum efficiency predicted by concentration dependence of the free carrier absorption coefficient.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported in part by the NASA under contract #NAG5-4950 and the NSF under grant #DMR-95-20893.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    A. G. U. Perera & W. Z. Shen

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    M. O. Tanner & K. L. Wang

  3. School of Electrical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    W. Schaff

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  1. A. G. U. Perera
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  2. W. Z. Shen
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  3. M. O. Tanner
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  4. K. L. Wang
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  5. W. Schaff
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Perera, A.G.U., Shen, W.Z., Tanner, M.O. et al. Free Carrier Absorption in P-Type Epitaxial Si and GaAs Films for far-Infrared Detection. MRS Online Proceedings Library 484, 199–204 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-484-199

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