Response Time Measurements in Short-Wave Infrared HgCdTe e-APDs

The impulse response time has been measured as a function of reverse bias, gain, and temperature in backside-illuminated short-wave infrared HgCdTe avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with variable junction geometry. The APD geometry was altered using HgCdTe substrates of variable thickness and by variation of device fabrication parameters. This approach allowed study of the drift–diffusion dynamics of the electrons before entering the junction and the electron and hole dynamics during the junction transition in APDs with different carrier collection distances and junction widths. The response time was typically limited by a double exponential decay, which is attributed to contributions from the impedance mismatch between the interconnection circuit and the 50-Ω radiofrequency probe, and a delayed diffusion response from carriers generated far from the junction. These contributions limited the maximum bandwidth of the diodes to about 600 MHz, independently of gain and temperature. The hot carrier velocities are estimated by fitting the measured response with numerical calculations, taking into account contributions from a direct drift–multiplication response and a delayed diffusion response. This analysis shows that the hot carrier dynamics is close to independent of temperature and that the electron drift velocity saturates at the gain onset to a value of 1 × 107 cm/s, decreasing upon a further increase of the electric field E to a value of about 3 × 106 cm/s at E = 100 kV/cm. The hole velocity shows a slow variation from 3 × 106 cm/s at low electric fields to 1.5 × 106 cm/s at high electric fields.