High-performance AlGaN-based solar-blind avalanche photodiodes with dual-periodic III–nitride distributed Bragg reflectors

Abstract

Separate absorption and multiplication AlGaN solar-blind avalanche photodiodes with dual-periodic III–nitride distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) are numerically demonstrated. The designed devices exhibit an improved solar-blind characteristic with a maximum spectral responsivity of 0.184 A/W at λ = 284 nm owing to the optimized optical properties of the dual-periodic III–nitride DBRs. Compared with their conventional counterparts, an increased multiplication gain and a reduced breakdown voltage are achieved by using p-type Al0.15Ga0.85N layers with a lower Al content and multiplication layers. These improvements are attributed to the high p-doping efficiency and large hole ionization coefficient.