The dark current of near-room-temperature long-wavelength heterojunction photodiodes was studied. The dark current of the devices is much greater than that calculated from the Auger generation mechanisms. A model of trapassisted tunneling via traps located at dislocation cores is proposed as the mechanism of enhanced thermal generation of charge carriers in reversebiased diodes. Field-induced reduction of trap activation energies can increase thermal generation and create conditions for tunneling currents. The model qualitatively explains experimental currentÀvoltage characteristics of the diodes assuming a dislocation density of approximately 10 8 cm À2 at the graded gap interface between absorber and contact regions of the photodiode.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.