A study of the mechanisms of the photocurrent avalanche multiplication and the dark current generation in a-Si : H p-i-n (Si sub.) photodiode

Abstract

The photocurrent multiplication has been observed in a-Si;H pin photodiode films. The temperature dependence of the photocurrent and current in this photodiode was investigated. It was found that two origins caused the dark current. In a low electric field, the generation at crystal silicon/a-Si interface is dominant, and the band-to-band tunneling breakdown is occurred in an intrinsic a-Si : H layer in a high electric fields. Moreover, It was found that the photocurrent avalanche multiplication is strongly affected with the geminate-recombination phenomena.