Analysis of the effect of different scattering mechanisms on the excess noise behavior of Sb-based avalanche photodiodes

In optical applications where avalanche photodiodes (APDs) provide the benefit of high sensitivity, Sb-based materials systems such as AlInAsSb and AlGaAsSb have shown extremely low excess noise factors. The Monte Carlo (MC) model described in this work reveals the effect of high alloy scattering on the excess noise factor in these material systems. A comparison between the excess noise factor of different combinations of scattering rates is investigated. Furthermore, the ionization path length probability distribution is presented for AlInAsSb APDs with different scattering mechanisms. Good agreement is achieved between simulation results and experimental measurements.