Impact Ionization Coefficients in GaN Measured by Above- and Sub-Eg Illuminations for p−/n+ Junction

We propose a novel method to extract impact ionization coefficients of electrons and holes using above-and sub-bandgap illuminations for a p
^-
/n
⁺
junction diode. For above-bandgap illumination, the light is absorbed near p-GaN surface. Then, generated minority carriers diffuse and reach the edge of the depletion layer, resulting in an electron-injected photocurrent. On the other hand, for sub-bandgap illumination, the light is selectively absorbed near the p-n junction interface by the Franz-Keldysh effect, resulting in a hole-injected photocurrent. The electron- and hole-initiated multiplication factors are obtained as the ratios of the measured photocurrents to the calculated unmultiplicated photocurrents. By analyzing the electron- and hole-initiated multiplication factors, the impact ionization coefficients of electrons and holes in GaN are extracted separately.