PHOTOSENSITIVITY OF AU-GAAS SCHOTTKY BARRIERS WITH A SURFACE MICRORELIEF (FUNDAMENTAL OPTICAL-ABSORPTION REGION)

An investigation was made of the influence of the nature of the GaAs surface microrelief, created by anisotropic chemical etching, and of a preliminary surface treatment preceding evaporation of a metal film on the magnitude and spectral dependence of the photosensitivity of Au-GaAs Schottky barriers in the fundamental absorption region. The optimal microrelief was identified. An analysis made it possible to estimate the contribution of the various factors to the photosensitivity of structures with a surface microrelief: the factors included optical characteristics such as an increase in the transmission of light by the semiconductor because of multiple reflections in the frontal surface relief and a reduction in the Au film thickness, as well as changes in the recombination properties of the Au-GaAs interface.