Long Wavelength Photodetectors: Performance and Reliability.

An impressive technology now exists for the fabrication of photodetectors based on InGaAsP/InP heteroepitaxy. Excellent performance is obtained over the range from 1.0 microns to 1.7 microns, making these devices ideal for optical fiber communication applications. In this paper, we will review the state-of-the- art of InP based photodetectors with emphasis on their reliability. We will discuss some of the known failure mechanisms and describe measures taken to eliminate them. We will show results of reliability experiments performed in our laboratories on photodetectors. These devices have demonstrated extrapolated failure rates below 1 FIT and are now used routinely in submarine cable systems and other applications with demanding reliability requirements.