Tolga Kartaloglu

High-performance solar-blind photodetectors based on Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N heterostructures

Design, fabrication, and characterization of high-performance Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N-based photodetectors for solar-blind applications are reported. Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/N heterostructures were designed for Schottky, p-i-n, and metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodiodes. The solar-blind photodiode samples were fabricated using a microwave compatible fabrication process. The resulting devices exhibited extremely low dark currents. Below 3fA, leakage currents at 6-V reverse bias were measured on p-i-n samples. The excellent current-voltage (I--V) characteristics led to a detectivity performance of 4.9/spl times/10/sup 14/ cmHz/sup 1/2/W/sup -1/. The MSM devices exhibited photoconductive gain, while Schottky and p-i-n samples displayed 0.09 and 0.11 A/W peak responsivity values at 267 and 261 nm, respectively. A visible rejection of 2/spl times/10/sup 4/ was achieved with Schottky samples. High-speed measurements at 267 nm resulted in fast pulse responses with greater than gigahertz bandwidths. The fastest devices were MSM photodiodes with a maximum 3-dB bandwidth of 5.4 GHz.

High-speed visible-blind GaN-based indium–tin–oxide Schottky photodiodes

We have fabricated GaN-based high-speed ultraviolet Schottky photodiodes using indium–tin–oxide (ITO) Schottky contacts. Before device fabrication, the optical transparency of thin ITO films in the visible-blind spectrum was characterized via transmission and reflection measurements. The devices were fabricated on n−/n+ GaN epitaxial layers using a microwave compatible fabrication process. Our ITO Schottky photodiode samples exhibited a maximum quantum efficiency of 47% around 325 nm. Time-based pulse-response measurements were done at 359 nm. The fabricated devices exhibited a rise time of 13 ps and a pulse width of 60 ps.

Simultaneous phase matching of optical parametric oscillation and second-harmonic generation in aperiodically poled lithium niobate

We report a simple ad hoc method for designing an aperiodic grating structure to quasi-phase match two arbitrary second-order nonlinear processes simultaneously within the same electric-field-poled crystal. This method also allows the relative strength of the two processes to be adjusted freely, thereby enabling maximization of the overall conversion efficiency. We also report an experiment that is based on an aperiodically poled lithium niobate crystal that was designed by use of our method. In this crystal, parametric oscillation and second-harmonic generation are simultaneously phase matched for upconversion of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser to 570 nm. This self-doubling optical parametric oscillator provides an experimental verification of our design method.

High-speed solar-blind photodetectors with indium-tin-oxide Schottky contacts

We report AlGaN/GaN-based high-speed solar-blind photodetectors with indium-tin-oxide Schottky contacts. Current–voltage, spectral responsivity, and high-frequency response characterizations were performed on the fabricated Schottky photodiodes. Low dark currents of <1 pA at 20 V reverse bias and breakdown voltages larger than 40 V were obtained. A maximum responsivity of 44 mA/W at 263 nm was measured, corresponding to an external quantum efficiency of 21%. True solar-blind detection was ensured with a cutoff wavelength of 274 nm. Time-based high-frequency measurements at 267 nm resulted in pulse responses with rise times and pulse-widths as short as 13 and 190 ps, respectively. The corresponding 3-dB bandwidth was calculated as 1.10 GHz.

High-speed InSb photodetectors on GaAs for mid-IR applications

We report p-i-n type InSb-based high-speed photodetectors grown on GaAs substrate. Electrical and optical properties of photodetectors with active areas ranging from 7.06/spl times/10/sup -6/ cm/sup 2/ to 2.25/spl times/10/sup -4/ cm/sup 2/ measured at 77 K and room temperature. Detectors had high zero-bias differential resistances, and the differential resistance area product was 4.5 /spl Omega/ cm/sup 2/. At 77 K, spectral measurements yielded high responsivity between 3 and 5 /spl mu/m with the cutoff wavelength of 5.33 /spl mu/m. The maximum responsivity for 80-/spl mu/m diameter detectors was 1.00/spl times/10/sup 5/ V/W at 4.35 /spl mu/m while the detectivity was 3.41/spl times/10/sup 9/ cm Hz/sup 1/2//W. High-speed measurements were done at room temperature. An optical parametric oscillator was used to generate picosecond full-width at half-maximum pulses at 2.5 /spl mu/m with the pump at 780 nm. 30-/spl mu/m diameter photodetectors yielded 3-dB bandwidth of 8.5 GHz at 2.5 V bias.

High-speed characterization of solar-blind AlxGa1−xN p–i–n photodiodes

We report on the temporal pulse response measurements of solar-blind AlxGa1−xN-based heterojunction p–i–n photodiodes. High-speed characterization of the fabricated photodiodes was carried out at 267 nm. The bandwidth performance was enhanced by an order of magnitude with the removal of the absorbing p+ GaN cap layer. 30 µm diameter devices exhibited pulse responses with ~70 ps pulse width and a corresponding 3 dB bandwidth of 1.65 GHz.

Single-crystal sum-frequency-generating optical parametric oscillator

We report a synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator that generates the sum frequency of the pump and the signal wavelengths. A single KTiOPO4 (KTP) crystal is used for both parametric generation and sum-frequency generation in which these two processes are simultaneously phase matched for the same direction of propagation. The parametric oscillator, pumped by a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser at a wavelength of 827 nm, generates a blue output beam at 487 nm with 43% power-conversion efficiency. The polarization geometry of simultaneous phase matching requires rotation of the pump polarization before the cavity. Adjusting the group delay between the two orthogonally polarized pump components to compensate for the group-velocity mismatch in the KTP crystal increases the photon-conversion efficiency more than threefold. Angle tuning in conjunction with pump wavelength tuning provides output tunability in the 484–512-nm range. A plane-wave model that takes group-velocity mismatch into account is in good agreement with our experimental results.

Femtosecond self-doubling optical parametric oscillator based on KTiOAsO/sub 4/

We report a femtosecond intracavity-frequency-doubled optical parametric oscillator that employs a single KTiOAsO/sub 4/ crystal for both parametric generation and frequency doubling. This device generates a yellow output beam at 575 nm with 39.4% power conversion efficiency when synchronously pumped by a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser at a wavelength of 796 nm. An intracavity retarder is employed to alleviate temporal pulse overlap problems associated with group velocity mismatch inside the KTiOAsO/sub 4/ crystal.

Comparison of terahertz technologies for detection and identification of explosives

We present results on the comparison of different THz technologies for the detection and identification of a variety of explosives from our laboratory tests that were carried out in the framework of NATO SET-193 “THz technology for stand-off detection of explosives: from laboratory spectroscopy to detection in the field” under the same controlled conditions. Several laser-pumped pulsed broadband THz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) systems as well as one electronic frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) device recorded THz spectra in transmission and/or reflection.

High-Performance Solar-Blind AlGaN Schottky Photodiodes

High-performance solar-blind AlGaN-based Schottky photodiodes have been demonstrated. The detectors were fabricated on MOCVD-grown AlGaN/GaN hetero-structures using a microwavecompatible fabrication process. Current-voltage, spectral responsivity, noise, and high-speed characteristics of the detectors were measured and analyzed. Dark currents lower than 1 pA at bias voltages as high as 30 V were obtained. True solar-blind detection was achieved with a cut-off wavelength lower than 266 nm. A peak device responsivity of 78 mA/W at 250 nm was measured under 15 V reverse bias. A visible rejection of more than 4 orders of magnitude was observed. The solar-blind photodiodes exhibited noise densities below the measurement setup noise floor of 3x1029 A2/Hz around 10 KHz. High-speed measurements at the solar-blind wavelength of 267 nm resulted in 3-dB bandwidths as high as 870 MHz.