Improved electron capture capability of field-assisted exponential-doping GaN nanowire array photocathode

The exponential-doping GaN nanowire arrays (GaN NWAs) photocathode has a "light-trapping effect", and the built-in electric field can promote the concentration of the photogenerated carrier center to the top surface of the nanowire. However, in the preparation of actual NWAs photocathodes, the problem that photons emitted from the sides of the nanowires cannot be effectively collected has been encountered. Our proposed field-assisted exponential-doping GaN NWAs can bend the motion trajectory of the emitted electrons toward the collecting side. In this study, the quantum efficiency (QE) and collection efficiency (CE) of the external field-assisted exponential-doping GaN NWAs photocathode are derived based on the two-dimensional carrier diffusion equation and the initial energy and angular distribution, respectively. For a field-assisted exponential-doping GaN NWAs with a width d = 200 nm and a height H = 400 nm, the optimal structural parameters are obtained: the incident angle theta = 50. and the nanowire spacing is L = 335.6 nm. On this basis, the field intensity of 0.5 V/mu m can maximize the CE of the NWAs. All the results show that the field-assisted approach does contribute to the collection of emitted electrons, which can provide theoretical guidance for high-performance electron sources based on exponential-doping GaN NWAs photocathodes. And field-assisted exponential-doping GaN NWAs cathode is expected to be verified by the experimental results in the future. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.