Large Area, High-Speed Photodiode using Metal-Semiconductor-Metal (MSM) Device

This proposal is concerned with a large area, high speed photodetector with gain. It involves the incorporation of a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) diode as the anode in a large area phototube that currently uses a Schottky diode. Present photodetectors either have a large area and low speed or a small area and high speed. The proposed phototube, or the intensified photodiode (IPD) is expected to exhibit a gain of greater than 10E3 , noise figure less than 1.5 dB, and a bandwidth of greater than 10 GHz, while maintaining a 10mm or larger active area. The device will be useful in free space terrestrial, shipboard and satellite communications, as well as a variety of lidar applications. Phase I is the feasibility study, i.e., the design of a prototype of the large area, high speed photodetector (EDMSM-IPD) device, while Phase I Option is the proof-of-concept demonstration which characterizes and demonstrates that the concept works.