Monte Carlo simulation of III-nitride photocathodes

We report on the development and verification of a Monte Carlo simulator for III-nitride photocathode structures. Due to the complexity of the process, attributing experimental photoemission results to physical origins can be difficult. We discuss the distribution of emitted electrons, including physical contributions for the shape and implications for device design. Although the Monte Carlo technique has shown promise in GaAs photocathodes, uncertainty in III-nitride band parameters makes simulation difficult. Here, a range of satellite valley band parameters were studied in the context of photoemission and compared to experimental results. We find that contrary to most published studies for Monte Carlo of III-nitrides, a lower effective mass in the satellite valley gives a closer match to experimental results.