Resolution characteristics of graded band-gap reflection-mode
AlGaAs/GaAs photocathodes
Wenjuan Deng
a,b
, Daoli Zhang
a
, Jijun Zou
b,
n
, Xincun Peng
b
, Weilu Wang
b
, Yijun Zhang
c
,
Benkang Chang
c
a
School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
b
Engineering Research Center of New Energy Technology and Equipment of Jiangxi Province, East China Institute of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
c
School of Electronic and Optical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
article info
Article history:
Received 17 July 2015
Received in revised form
31 July 2015
Accepted 6 August 2015
Keywords:
Graded band-gap
Built-in electric field
Resolution
Modulation transfer function
abstract
The modulation transfer function (MTF) of graded band-gap AlGaAs/GaAs reflection-mode photo-
cathodes was determined using two-dimensional Poisson and continuity equations through numerical
method. Based on the MTF model, we calculated the theoretical MTF of graded and uniform band-gap
reflection-mode photocathodes. We then analyzed the effects of Al composition, wavelength of incident
photon, and thicknesses of AlGaAs and GaAs layer on the resolution. Calculation results show that graded
band-gap structures can increase the resolution of reflection-mode photocathodes. When the spatial
frequency is 800 lp/mm and wavelength is 600 nm, the resolution of graded band-gap photocathodes
generally increases by 15.4–29.6%. The resolution improvement of graded band-gap photocathodes is
attributed to the fact that the built-in electric field in graded band-gap photocathodes reduces the lateral
diffusion distance of photoelectrons.
& 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
Most imaging intensifiers use transmission-mode (t-mode)
photocathodes because the optical path in imaging intensifiers can
be easily obtained [1–6]. However, compared with t-mode pho-
tocathodes, reflection-mode (r-mode) photocathodes have a
higher quantum efficiency and are easier to fabricate. These
properties have motivated research on possible approaches to
apply r-mode photocathodes into imaging devices [7]. Previous
studies have reported on the application of r-mode photocathodes
in imaging detectors [8 ,9] . For a photocathode, quantum efficiency
and resolution are the primary performance parameters. Over the
last several decades, the quantum efficiency of photocathodes has
been widely investigated [10–15]; however, the resolution char-
acteristics of photocathodes are rarely reported, especially for
r-mode photocathodes. The resolution of photocathodes is usually
neglected in the calculation of system resolution despite its sig-
nificant effects on the performance of systems using
photocathodes.
Many factors affect photocathode resolution, but the most
significant is the influence of an electric field along the opposite
direction of photoelectron transport toward the surface of negative
electron affinity (NEA). Experiments have verified that photo-
cathodes with a constant built-in electric field have higher quan-
tum efficiencies [16–18]. Materials with a graded Al composition
also have a graded band-gap. The built-in electric field of graded
band-gap photocathodes is generally greater than that of ex-
ponential-doping photocathodes [11,19]. Fig. 1 shows the effect of
the built-in electric field on resolution. For graded band-gap Al-
GaAs/GaAs photocathodes, the diameter of the dispersion circle is
smaller than that of uniform band-gap cathodes. The electric field
facilitates photoelectron movement toward the cathode surface
and decreases the lateral diffusion of photoelectrons, thereby in-
creasing resolution. Furthermore, the dependence of resolution on
the AlGaAs/GaAs photocathode structure, Al composition, active
layer thickness, and wavelength of incident light needs to be dis-
cussed. Accordingly, we established a model to calculate and
analyze the resolution of r-mode graded band-gap photocathodes.
2. Resolution model
The schematic and band structure of r-mode graded band-gap
AlGaAs/GaAs photocathodes are shown in Fig. 2. A band-bending
region, as shown in Fig. 2(b), is formed because of the Fermi-level
leveling effect in the graded band-gap AlGaAs layer. This region
induces a built-in electric
field that facilitates the movement of
photo-excited electrons toward the surface. Light is incident on the
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journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/optcom
Optics Communications
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.optcom.2015.08.010
0030-4018/& 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
n
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: jjzou@ecit.cn (J. Zou).
Optics Communications 356 (2015) 278–281