High Responsivity and High Power UTC and MUTC GaInAs-InP Photodiodes

We have developed a high-performance uni-traveling-carrier (UTC) and a modified uni-traveling-carrier (MUTC) photodiode (PD). We report a comparison between the two devices comprising both a 1.5- μm-thick absorption layer followed by a 0.5-μm-thick transparent collector layer. Both devices showed simultaneously a high responsivity (larger than 0.92 A/W at 1.55 μm), a high saturation current (larger than 100 mA at 10 GHz), and a high linearity (OIP3 of 35 dBm at 10 GHz). Thanks to a partly depleted absorber, the MUTC-PD is demonstrated to achieve a higher bandwidth (more than 20 GHz at high current), while the UTC-PD is demonstrated to achieve a higher saturation current and a less voltage dependent radio-frequency and linearity characteristics.