Reduction of hole transit time in GaAs MSM photodetectors by p-type /spl delta/-doping

The temporal responses of the undoped, n-type, and p-type /spl delta/-doped GaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors were systematically studied. The full-width at half-maximum of the temporal response is significantly improved at low bias for the /spl delta/-doped detectors compared to the conventional undoped one. The p-type /spl delta/-doped detector exhibits the smallest fall-time, and hence the highest bandwidth, because the induced electric field in the absorption region facilitates the transport of the photo-generated holes. In addition, the p-type /spl delta/-doped detector also gives the highest peak amplitude of the temporal response. Two dimensional simulation on the internal electrical field distribution in the detectors is consistent with the experimental results.