The influence of carrier capture on unipolar carrier multiplication in quantum well photomultipliers is investigated. General considerations regarding gain and carrier capture in quantum wells are discussed, and it is suggested that capture efficiencies need not be unexpectedly high to quench gain from intraband multiplication in some structures. This is investigated quantitatively through gain calculations which include the effects of electron capture via optical phonon emission in symmetric Al0.32Ga0.68As‐GaAs quantum wells. Our results are discussed in the context of previous work on quantum well avalanche photodiodes, and some implications for the design of such devices are detailed.
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© 1992 American Institute of Physics.
1992
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