Abstract:
To assess the space radiation adaptability of the PIN optoelectronic devices, the InGaAs-PIN photodiodes as the candidate devices for the space laser communication system are irradiated by the proton, neutron, and gamma ray for evaluating their susceptibility to the space radiation environment. The performance of the devices characterized by the dark current, the optical output, the spectral response, and the capacitance are measured before and after the irradiation from three kinds of sources, to compare the radiation damages to the optoelectronic devices among different parameters and with respect to different radiation sources. It is indicated that the dark current of the PIN diodes is the most susceptible factor, while on the optical current, the spectral response and the capacitance, only little influence is observed. The increases of the dark current can be attributed to the introduction of non-radiation recombination centers induced by the proton and neutron irradiations, which has basically a linear relationship with the displacement damage dose.