Effect of electric field on primary dark pulses in SPADs for advanced radiation detection applications

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and technology Vol. 53; no. 2; pp. 618 - 625
• Main Authors: Lim, Kyung Taek, Kim, Hyoungtaek, Kim, Jinhwan, Cho, Gyuseong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: DCR; SPAD; SRH generation; Primary dark pulse; Field-enhanced; Radiation detection
• ISSN: 1738-5733; 2234-358X

In this paper, the single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) featuring three different p-well implantation doses (∅p-well) of 5.0 × 1012, 4.0 × 1012, and 3.0 × 1012 atoms/cm2 under the identical device layouts were fabricated and characterized to evaluate the effects of field enhanced mechanisms on primary dark pulses due to the maximum electric field. From the I-V curves, the breakdown voltages were found as 23.2 V, 40.5 V, and 63.1 V with decreasing ∅p-well, respectively. By measuring DCRs as a function of temperature, we found a reduction of approximately 8% in the maximum electric field lead to a nearly 72% decrease in the DCR at Vex = 5 V and T = 25 ℃. Also, the activation energy increased from 0.43 eV to 0.50 eV, as decreasing the maximum electric field. Finally, we discuss the importance of electric field engineering in reducing the field-enhanced mechanisms contributing to the DCR in SPADs and the benefits on the SPADs related to different types of radiation detection applications.