QUANTUM PHOTONICS:

Optoelectronics and Photonics

Lecture 9:

Photodiode

Asst. Prof. Dr. Ghusoon Mohsin Ali

PhD in Electronics & Communication

Department of Electrical Engineering
College of Engineering
Al-Mustansiriya University

1
Power Point for Optoelectronics and
Photonics: Principles and Practices
Second Edition
A Complete Course in Power Point
Chapter 5

ISBN-10: 0133081753
Second Edition Version 1.014
[19 January 2013]
 pn Junction Photodiode

(a) A schematic diagram of a

reverse biased pn junction
photodiode. (b) Net space charge
across the diode in the depletion
region. Nd and Na are the donor and
acceptor concentrations in the p and
n sides. (c) The field in the
depletion region.
(Note: Depletion region shape in (a) is
schematic only.)
pn Junction Photodiode

A reverse biased pn junction.

Photogeneration inside the
SCL generates an electron
and a hole. Both fall their
respective energy hills
(electron along Ec and hole
along Ev) i.e. they drift, and
cause a photocurrent Iph in
the external circuit.
pn Junction Photodiode

Photogeneration occurs in
the neutral region. The
electron has to diffuse to the
depletion layer and then roll
down the energy hill i.e. drift
across the SCL.
pn Junction Photodiode

A shorted pn junction. The

photogenerated electron and
hole in the SCL roll down
their energy hills, i.e. drift
across the SCL, and cause a
current Iph in the external
circuit.
pn Junction Photodiode

The pn junction in open

circuit. The photogenerated
electron and hole roll down
their energy hills (drift) but
there is a voltage Voc across
the diode that causes them
the diffuse back so that the
net current is zero.
 Photodetection Modes

(a) The sign convention for the voltage V and current I for a pn junction. (b) If the pn junction is
reverse biased by Vr = 5V, then V = -Vr = -5V. Under illumination, the pn junction current I = -Iph
and is negative. (C) The IV characteristics of a pn junction in the dark and under illumination. (d) A
short circuit pn junction under illumination. The voltage V = 0 but there is a short circuit current so
that I = Isc = -Iph. (e) An open circuit pn junction under illumination generates an open circuit voltage
Voc.
 Shockley-Ramo Theorem
An electron and hole pair (EHP) is
photogenerated at x = l. The electron
and the hole drift in opposite directions
with drift velocities vh and ve.

Question
What is the induced
current iph(t)?
This is a simplified version of the more general treatment that examines the
induced current on an electrode due to the motion of an electron. Its origins lie
in tube-electronics in which engineers were interested in calculating how much
current would flow into various electrodes of a vacuum tube as the electrons in
the tube drifted. See W. Shockley, J. Appl. Phys., 9, 635, 1938 and S. Ramo,
Proc. IRE 27, 584, 1939.
 Shockley-Ramo Theorem
External photocurrent due to the motion of
this photogenerated electron is ie(t).
The electron is acted on by the force eE of
the electric field.
When it moves a distance dx, work must
be done by the external circuit. In time dt,
the electron drifts a distance dx and does
an amount of work eEdx

Work done eEdx is provided by the battery in time dt

Electrical energy provided by the battery in time dt = Vie(t)dt
Thus, eEdx = Vie(t)dt. In time dt, the electron drift a distance dx = vedt
ev e
eEdx = Vie(t)dt e(V/L)(vedt) = Vie(t)dt ie (t ) 
L
ie flows while the electron is drifting, for a time te = (L – l)/ve
 Shockley-Ramo Theorem

(a) An electron and hole pair (EHP) is photogenerated at x = l. The electron and the hole drift in
opposite directions with drift velocities vh and ve. (b) The electron arrives at time te = (L - l)/ve and
the hole arrives at time th = l/vh. (c) As the electron and hole drift, each generates an external
photocurrent shown as ie(t) and ih(t). (d) The total photocurrent is the sum of hole and electron.
Shockley-Ramo Theorem

( L  l ) Electron
te  transit
ve times

L Hole transit
th 
vh time
Shockley-Ramo Theorem

ev e
ie (t )  t < te
L

ev h
ih (t )  t < th
L

te th

Qcollected   ie (t )dt   ih (t )dt  e

0 0

Total collected charge = e

 Absorption Coefficient a
I(x) = Ioexp(–ax)
d = 1/a = penetration or absorption depth
 Absorption and Direct and Indirect Transitions

(a) Photon absorption in a direct bandgap semiconductor. (b) Photon

absorption in an indirect bandgap semiconductor (VB, valence band; CB,
conduction band)
 Absorption and the Bandgap

Absorption cutoff
wavelength
1.24
g (μm) 
E g (eV )
Wavelength in
Bandgap in eV
microns
(micrometers)
Wavelengths greater than roughly g are not absorbed (by band-to band transitions)
 Semiconductors
Band gap energy Eg at 300 K, cut-off wavelength lg and type of bandgap
(D = Direct and I = Indirect) for some photodetector materials

Semiconductor Eg (eV) g (eV) Type

InP 1.35 0.91 D
GaAs0.88Sb0.12 1.15 1.08 D
Si 1.12 1.11 I
In0.7Ga0.3As0.64P0.36 0.89 1.4 D
In0.53Ga0.47As 0.75 1.65 D
Ge 0.66 1.87 I
InAs 0.35 3.5 D
InSb 0.18 7 D
External quantum efficiency
(QE) he of the detector

Number of free EHP generated and collected

e 
Number of incident photons

I ph / e
e 
Po / h
 Responsivity R

Photocurre nt (A) I ph
R 
Incident Optical Power (W) Po

e e
R  e  e
h hc
Responsivity R

Si photodiodes of various
sizes (S1336 series).
(Courtesy of Hamamatsu)
 Responsivity R

Responsivity (R) vs. wavelength (l) for

an ideal photodiode with QE = 100% (he
= 1) and for a typical inexpensive
commercial Si photodiode. The exact
shape of the responsivity curve depends
on the device structure.

The line through the origin that is a tangent to the responsivity curve at X,
identifies operation at l1 with maximum QE
EXAMPLE: Quantum efficiency and responsivity
Consider the photodiode shown in Figure 5.7. What is the QE at peak responsivity? What is the QE at 450
nm (blue)? If the photosensitive device area is 1 mm 2, what would be the light intensity corresponding to
a photocurrent of 10 nA at the peak responsivity?

Solution
The peak responsibility in Figure 5.7 occurs at
about l  940 nm where R  0.56 A W-1. Thus,
from Eq. (5.4.4), that is R =heel / hc, we have

(1.6 1019 C)(940 109 m)

0.56AW  e
1

(6.63 1034 J s )(3 108 m s -1 )

i.e. he = 0.74 or 74%
We can repeat the calculation for l = 450 nm,
where R  0.24 AW-1, which gives he = 0.66 or
66%.
From the definition of responsivity, R = Iph /Po,
we have 0.56 AW-1 = (10×10-9 A)/Po, i.e. Po =
1.8×10-8 W or 18 nW. Since the area is 1 mm2
the intensity must be 18 nW mm-2.
EXAMPLE: Maximum quantum efficiency
Show that a photodiode has maximum QE when
dR R (5.4.5)

d 
that is, when the tangent X at l1 in Figure 5.7 passes through the origin (R = 0, l = 0). Hence determine
the wavelengths where the QE is maximum for the Si photodiode in Figure 5.7

Solution
From Eq. (5.4.4) the QE is given by
hcR ( )
e  (5.4.6)
e
where R(l) depends on l and there is also l in the denominator. We can
differentiate Eq. (5.4.6) with respect to l and then set to zero to find the maximum
point X. Thus
de hc dR hcR  1 
   0
d e d e  2 

which leads to Eq. (5.4.5). Equation (5.4.5) represents a line through the origin that is
a tangent to the R vs l curve. This tangential point is X in Figure 5.7 , where l1 = 700
nm and R1 = 0.45 AW-1. Then, using Eq. (5.4.6), the maximum QE is
he = (6.626×10-34 J s) (3×108 m s-1) (0.45 A W-1) / (1.6×10-19 C) (700×10-9 m)
= 0.80 or 80%
 External Quantum Efficiency and Responsivity
Schematic
photogeneration
profiles

Different contributions to the photocurrent Iph. Photogeneration profiles

corresponding to short, medium and long wavelengths are also shown.
 Internal Quantum Efficiency hi
Number of EHP photogenerated
i  Internal Quantum Efficienc y 
Number of absorbed photons

Assuming lp is very thin, and assuming W >>

Lh

eiTPo (0)
I ph  [1  exp( W )]
h
T = Transmission coefficient of AR coating
a = Absorption coefficient
pin Photodiode
The schematic structure of an idealized pin
photodiode (b) The net space charge density
across the photodiode. (c) The built-in field
across the diode. (d) The pin photodiode
reverse biased for photodetection.

Si pin

InGaAs pin

Courtesy of Hamamatsu
pin Photodiode

Vr Vr
E  Eo  
W W

 o r A
Cdep 
W
W
t drift 
vd
 pin Photodiode

Width of i-region
(Depletion region)

W
t drift 
vd
Transit time
(Drift time) Drift velocity

Drift velocity vs. electric field for holes and electrons in Si.
 pin Photodiode Speed
A reverse biased pin photodiode is
illuminated with a short wavelength
light pulse that is absorbed very near
the surface. The photogenerated
electron has to diffuse to the
depletion region where it is swept
into the i-layer and drifted across.

In time t, an electron, on average, diffuses a distance l given by

l = (2Det)1/2
Electron diffusion coefficient
 pin Photodiode

The responsivity of Si, InGaAs and Ge pin type photodiodes. The pn junction GaP detector is used
for UV detection. GaP (Thorlabs, FGAP71), Si(E), IR enhanced Si (Hamamatsu S11499), Si(C),
conventional Si with UV enhancement, InGaAs (Hamamatsu, G8376), and Ge (Thorlabs, FDG03).
The dashed lines represent the responsivity due to QE = 100 %, 75% and 50 %.
 Responsivity R depends on the device structure

Two Si pin
photodiodes with
different device
structures.

A has UV
response
Responsivity R depends on the temperature

Responsivity of an
InAs photodiode at
two temperatures
EXAMPLE: Responsivity of a pin photodiode
A Si pin photodiode has an active light receiving area of diameter 0.4 mm. When radiation of
wavelength 700 nm (red light) and intensity 0.1 mW cm -2 is incident, it generates a photocurrent of
56.6 nA. What is the responsivity and external QE of the photodiode at 700 nm?

Solution
The incident light intensity I = 0.1 mW cm-2 means that the incident power for
conversion is
Po = AI = [(0.02 cm)2](0.110-3 W cm-2) = 1.2610-7 W or 0.126 mW.

The responsivity is
R = Iph /Po = (56.6  10-9 A)/(1.2610-7 W ) = 0.45 A W-1

The QE can be found from

-1 (6.62  10 J s)(3  108 m s-1 )

-34
hc
 R  (0.45 A W )  0.80  80 %
e 19
(1.6  10 C)(700  10 m) 9
EXAMPLE: Operation and speed of a pin photodiode
A Si pin photodiode has an i-Si layer of width 20 mm. The p+-layer on the illumination side is very thin
(0.1 mm). The pin is reverse biased by a voltage of 100 V and then illuminated with a very short optical
pulse of wavelength 900 nm. What is the duration of the photocurrent if absorption occurs over the
whole i-Si layer?

Solution
From Figure 5.5 , the absorption
coefficient at 900 nm is ~ 3104 m-1 so
that the absorption depth is ~33 mm.
We can assume that absorption and
hence photogeneration occurs over
the entire width W of the i-Si layer.
The field in the i-Si layer is

E  Vr / W
= (100 V)/(2010-6 m)
= 5106 V m-1

Note: The absorption coefficient is between 3104 m-1 and 4104 m-1
EXAMPLE: Operation and speed of a pin photodiode
Solution (continued)

At this field the electron drift velocity ve is very near its saturation at 105 m s-1,
whereas the hole drift velocity vh,  7104 m s-1 as shown in Figure 5.10.
Holes are slightly slower than the electrons. The transit time th of holes across
the i-Si layer is

th = W/vh = (2010-6 m)/(7104 m s-1)

= 2.8610-10 s or 0.29 ns

This is the response time of the pin as determined by the transit time of the
slowest carriers, holes, across the i-Si layer. To improve the response time,
the width of the i-Si layer has to be narrowed but this decreases the quantity
of photons absorbed and hence reduces the responsivity. There is therefore a
trade off between speed and responsivity.
EXAMPLE : Photocarrier Diffusion in a pin photodiode
A reverse biased pin photodiode is illuminated with a short wavelength light pulse that is absorbed very
near the surface. The photogenerated electron has to diffuse to the depletion region where it is swept
into the i-layer and drifted across by the field in this region. What is the speed of response of this
photodiode if the i-Si layer is 20 mm and the p+-layer is 1 mm and the applied voltage is 60 V? The
diffusion coefficient (De) of electrons in the heavily doped p+-region is approximately 310-4 m2 s-1.

Solution
There is no electric field in the p+-side outside
the depletion region as shown in Figure 5.12 .
The photogenerated electrons have to make it
across to the n+-side to give rise to a
photocurrent. In the p+-side, the electrons
move by diffusion. In time t, an electron, on
average, diffuses a distance l given by

l = [2Det]1/2
The diffusion time tdiff is the time it takes for an
electron to diffuse across the p+-side (of length
l ) to reach the depletion layer and is given by
EXAMPLE: Photocarrier Diffusion in a pin photodiode
Solution (continued)

tdiff = l 2/(2De) = (110-6 m)2 / [2(310-4 m2 s-1)] = 1.6710-9 s or 1.67 ns.

On the other hand, once the electron reaches the depletion region, it
becomes drifted across the width W of the i-Si layer at the saturation drift
velocity since the electric field here is E = Vr / W = 60 V / 20 mm = 3106 V m-
1
; and at this field the electron drift velocity ve saturates at 105 m s-1. The drift
time across the i-Si layer is

tdrift = W / ve = (2010-6 m) / (1105 m s-1) = 2.010-10 s or 0.2 ns.

Thus, the response time of the pin to a pulse of short wavelength

radiation that is absorbed near the surface is very roughly tdiff + tdrift or 1.87
ns. Notice that the diffusion of the electron is much slower than its drift. In a
proper analysis, we have to consider the diffusion and drift of many carriers,
and we have to average (tdiff + tdrift) for all the electrons.