Characterization of predictable quantum efficient detector in terms of optical non-linearity in the visible to near-infrared range

The characteristics of a predictable quantum efficient detector (PQED) in terms of optical non-linearity in the visible to near-infrared range were investigated under zero-bias and reverse-bias voltage conditions. In the zero-bias condition, linear behavior was observed in the wavelength from 405 nm to 1060 nm in the photocurrent range of 1 nA to 10 μA, and saturation occurred for photocurrents over 10 μA for all wavelengths. In the reverse-bias voltage of 10 V, the linear behavior was observed in the photocurrent range of 64 nA to 1 mA except for the wavelength of 1060 nm, and the saturation photocurrent increased up to 1 mA. The supralinearity value at 1060 nm increased sharply from the photocurrent of 100 μA, and its maximum value reached up to 0.34% at the photocurrent of 1 mA because of the back surface recombination and the longer absorption length. The spectral linearity results of the PQED help us to understand the charge-carrier loss mechanism in the PQED, and would lead to more accurate optical measurement with it.