Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
The optical and electrical properties of InAs/GaInSb superlattice mesa photodiodes with a cutoff wavelength around 8 pim are investigated. The influence of the surface potential at the mesa sidewalls on the device properties was studied by fabricating gate-controlled diodes. At least two mechanisms determining the dark current in the reverse bias region can be identified. At high reverse biases bulk bandto- band tunneling dominates while the current at low reverse biases is most likely governed by surface effects. Bulk interband tunneling is further investigated by applying magnetic fields B up to 7 T parallel and perpendicular to the electric field E across the p-n junction.