Extreme ultraviolet detection using AlGaN-on-Si inverted Schottky photodiodes

• Published in: Applied physics letters Vol. 98; no. 14; pp. 141104 - 141104-3
• Main Authors: Malinowski, Pawel E., Duboz, Jean-Yves, De Moor, Piet, Minoglou, Kyriaki, John, Joachim, Horcajo, Sara Martin, Semond, Fabrice, Frayssinet, Eric, Verhoeve, Peter, Esposito, Marco, Giordanengo, Boris, BenMoussa, Ali, Mertens, Robert, Van Hoof, Chris
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Institute of Physics 04-04-2011
• Subjects: ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS; CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; CRYSTAL GROWTH METHODS; DETECTION; DOPED MATERIALS; ELECTRODES; ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; ELEMENTS; EMISSION; EPITAXY; EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION; FLUIDS; GALLIUM COMPOUNDS; GALLIUM NITRIDES; GASES; HELIUM; LAYERS; MATERIALS; MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY; NITRIDES; NITROGEN COMPOUNDS; NONMETALS; PHOTODIODES; PNICTIDES; RADIATIONS; RARE GASES; SCHOTTKY BARRIER DIODES; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES; SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS; SEMIMETALS; SENSITIVITY; SILICON; ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION; WAVELENGTHS
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.3576914

We report on the fabrication of aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) Schottky diodes for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) detection. AlGaN layers were grown on silicon wafers by molecular beam epitaxy with the conventional and inverted Schottky structure, where the undoped, active layer was grown before or after the n-doped layer, respectively. Different current mechanisms were observed in the two structures. The inverted Schottky diode was designed for the optimized backside sensitivity in the hybrid imagers. A cut-off wavelength of 280 nm was observed with three orders of magnitude intrinsic rejection ratio of the visible radiation. Furthermore, the inverted structure was characterized using a EUV source based on helium discharge and an open electrode design was used to improve the sensitivity. The characteristic He I and He II emission lines were observed at the wavelengths of 58.4 nm and 30.4 nm, respectively, proving the feasibility of using the inverted layer stack for EUV detection.