Vacuum Violet Photo-Response of AlGaN-Based Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Photodetectors

Al_0.5Ga_0.5N-based metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors (PDs) with a large device area of 5×5 mm² are fabricated on a sapphire substrate, which are tested for vacuum ultraviolet light detection by using a synchrotron radiation source. The PD exhibits low dark current of less than 1 pA under 30 V bias and a spectral cutoff around 260 nm, corresponding to the energy bandgap of Al_0.5Ga_0.5N. A peak photo-responsivity of 14.68 mA/W at 250 nm with a rejection ratio (250/360 nm) of more than four orders of magnitude is obtained under 30 V bias. For wavelength less than 170 nm, the photoresponsivity of the PD is found to increase as wavelength decreases, which is likely caused by the enhanced photoemission effect.