Reduction method for low-frequency noise of GaAs junction field-effect transistor at a cryogenic temperature

A GaAs junction field-effect transistor (JFET) is a promising candidate for low-frequency, low-noise, and low-power cryogenic electronics to read out high-impedance photodetectors. We report on the spectral noise characteristics of a SONY n-type GaAs JFET, operating at the depression mode, at a cryogenic temperature of 4.2 K. If the GaAs JFET is turned on at 4.2 K, a random telegraph signal (RTS) is found to be the dominant noise source at low frequencies. However, the switching rate of RTS can be drastically reduced if the GaAs JFET is heated up to 55 K and cooled down again to 4.2 K while keeping the same drain current flow. We refer to this phenomenon as the thermal cure (TC). With TC, low-frequency noise can be reduced to below 1 muV/Hz1/2 at 1 Hz. The critical temperature for TC is found to be similar to35 K for our GaAs JFET. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.