Degradation of epitaxial lift-off AlGaAs/GaAs metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors due to field assisted etching

We have demonstrated the occurrence of the field-assisted etching of pits on the back surface of ELO AlGaAs-GaAs MSMs. The etching causes an increase in the leakage current of the MSM and therefore creates a reliability problem for ELO technology. The etching may possibly be circumvented through the use of LT material or better attachment processes. >