Temperature dependent low-field electron multiplication in In0.53Ga0.47As

Abstract

Electron multiplication for a series of In0.53Ga0.47As p-i-n diodes and hole multiplication for a n-i-p diode were measured at electric fields of 100–260 kV/cm over a temperature range of 20–300 K. The electron multiplication characteristics consistently showed positive temperature dependence at low electric fields (below ∼200 kV/cm) but exhibited negative temperature dependence at high fields. These observations explain the apparent discrepancies of the temperature dependence of the electron ionization coefficient in In0.53Ga0.47As in literature. In contrast, hole multiplication showed little change with temperature.