Low frequency noise in HgCdTe 3-5 micron IR photovoltaic detectors at elevated temperatures

This paper presents a study on the temperature and bias dependence of 1/f noise for mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) HgCdTe n-on-p photodiodes fabricated on vacancy doped p-type LPE grown epilayers. The low frequency noise spectrum is fitted to a theoretical model to determine the dark current mechanism responsible for the 1/f noise component. At temperatures above 130 K the 1/f noise is dominated by the diffusion current component, and the temperature dependence in this regime gives an activation energy of 0.73E/sub g/. The Hooge parameter obtained from the model increased monotonically from 1.7/spl times/10/sup -4/ to 2.25/spl times/10/sup -3/ as the temperature was varied from 130 K to 180 K.