1. Local Avalanche Photodetectors Driven by Lightning-rod Effect and Surface Plasmon Excitations
- Author
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Fu, Zhao, Yuan, Meng, Cai, Jiafa, Hong, Rongdun, Chen, Xiaping, Lin, Dingqu, Wu, Shaoxiong, Zhang, Yuning, Wu, Zhengyun, Shen, Zhanwei, Wang, Zhijie, Wang, Jicheng, Zhang, Mingkun, Yang, Zhilin, Fu, Deyi, Zhang, Feng, and Zhang, Rong
- Subjects
Physics - Optics ,Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors - Abstract
Sensitive avalanche photodetectors (APDs) that operate within the ultraviolet spectrum are critically required for applications in detecting fire and deep-space exploration. However, the development of such devices faces significant challenges, including high avalanche breakdown voltage, the necessity for complex quenching circuits, and thermal runaway associated with Geiger-mode avalanche operation. To mitigate these issues, we report on a 4H-SiC APD design utilizing micro-holes (MHs) structures and Al nano-triangles (NTs) to enhance surface electric field driven by strong localized surface plasmon excitations and lightning-rod effect. The device demonstrates a record low avalanche breakdown voltage of approximately 14.5 V, a high detectivity of 7E13 Jones, a nanosecond-level response time, and repeated stable detections without the requirement of a quenching circuit. Collectively, when compared with the conventional wide-bandgap-based APDs, this device achieves a reduction in avalanche breakdown voltage by an order of magnitude and exhibits a substantial increase in detectivity. Consequently, the proposed APD configuration presents a promising candidate for ultraviolet detection and integrated optoelectronic circuits.
- Published
- 2024