For long wave length infrared transmission, a surface plasmonic device, having the periodic subwavelength metal hole array on Si substrate, was fabricated using photo-lithography and electron beam evaporation. The maximum transmitted wavelength was adjustable arbitrarily as a function of the period hole arrays. The maximum transmittance was measured 70.3% at 15.4 μm with a plasmonic device composed of a pitch of 5 μm and hole arrays of 3 μm. When the hole size became larger than a half pitch of the hole array, the transmitted infrared spectrum was split into two peaks. The surface plasmon mode of the six degenerated (1,0) Ag/Si was split from three to five modes depending on the incident beam angle. The blue and red wavelength shifts were measured at the same time.
The Interband Cascade (IC) detector with InAs/Ga(In)Sb type-II superlattice (T2-SL) absorbers is a new type of high-performance infrared photodetector that has many unique features. In this IC detector design, the T2-SL absorber is sliced into multiple thinner segments that are sandwiched between electron and hole barriers, forming one stage. Multiple stages are electrically connected in series. The asymmetric energy-band alignment and ultra-fast carrier transport channel have enabled IC detectors to operate under/near zero-bias. The large lifetime contrast and the great design flexibility make IC detectors very suitable for high temperature operations. Our effort has led to the demonstration of mid-IR single pixel devices operating up to 450 K under zero-bias. These devices achieved superior electrical performance compared to HgCdTe technology at higher operation temperatures. In this presentation, we will discuss the new developments of low-noise mid-IR IC photodetectors and their focal plane arrays. Device studies on the influence of design on their optical and electrical performance will be discussed, and the most recent technical progress is also reported.
There is an increasing interest in the development of high operating temperature (HOT) detectors with InAs/Ga(In)Sb Type-II superlattice (T2-SL) material systems. A wide variety of unipolar barrier structures have been investigated and successfully implemented in low-noise device architectures. In this paper, some of our recent work on the development of HOT mid-IR (MWIR) T2-SL photodetectors with interband cascade schemes will be summarized. In these structures, the discrete InAs/GaSb SL absorbers are sandwiched between quantum-engineered electron and hole barriers, which facilitate photovoltaic operation and efficient photo-carrier extraction. Even at its initial stage of development, such an advanced design has led to the demonstration of mid-IR photodetectors with background-limited operation above 150 K (300 K, 2π field-of-view), as well as above room temperature zero-bias operation. Further understanding of the device operation and design principles will also be discussed.
Over the last several years, owing to the implementation of advanced device architectures, antimony-based type-II
superlattice (T2-SL) infrared (IR) photodetectors and their focal plane arrays (FPAs) have achieved significant
advancements. Here we present our recent effort towards the development of high operating temperature (HOT)
mid-IR (MWIR) photodetectors, which utilizes an interband cascade scheme with discrete InAs/GaSb SL absorbers,
sandwiched between electron and hole barriers. This low-noise device architecture has enabled background-limited
operation above 150 K (300 K, 2π field-of-view), as well as above room temperature response in the mid-IR region.
The detector yields a dark current density of 1.10×10-7 A/cm2 (1.44×10-3 A/cm2) at -5 mV, and a Johnson-limited D*
of 2.22×1011 cmHz1/2/W (1.58×109 cmHz1/2/W) at 150 K (room temperature) and 3.6 μm, respectively. In this
presentation, we will discuss the operation principles of the interband cascade design and our most recent progress
in MWIR photodetectors toward high operating temperatures.
Ga-free InAs/InAsSb type-II superlattice (T2SL) nBn photodetectors with very low dark current are fabricated and
characterized. The typical device without antireflection coating and surface passivation has a cut-off wavelength of 13.2
micrometers, quantum efficiency (QE) of 2.5% and a background limited operating temperature of 70 K. Our analysis
shows that the anticipated highest operating temperature of a 10.6 micrometer cut-off Ga-free T2SL nBn device can be
108 K, with a potential to reach 135 K if 20% QE or lower noise is achieved.
Optical and structural properties of InAs/InAsSb type-II superlattices (T2SL) and their feasibility for mid- and longwavelength
infrared (MWIR and LWIR) photodetector applications are investigated. The InAs/InAsSb T2SL structures
with a broad bandgap range covering 4 μm to 12 μm are grown by molecular beam epitaxy and characterized by highresolution
x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. All of the samples have excellent structural
properties and strong PL signal intensities of the same order of magnitude, indicating that non-radiative recombination is
not dominant and the material system is promising for high performance MWIR and LWIR detectors and multiband
FPAs.
A near infrared (NIR) and long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) dual-band infrared photodetector, which can switch
detection bands with light bias, is demonstrated at 77 K. The demonstrated scheme consists of series connected
photodetectors for different bands. The basic operating principle of the scheme is that without light bias, shorter
wavelength detector limits the total current and thus the device operates in NIR mode. With light bias on the NIR
detector, the LWIR detector becomes the current limiting device and the device then operates in LWIR mode. Proposed
design allows single indium-bump per pixel focal plane arrays, and in principle allows covering all tactical bands such as
UV, visible, NIR, SWIR, MWIR and LWIR bands with a single pixel.
Two of the key challenges in the realisation of focal plane arrays based on type-II InAs/GaSb superlattices (T2SL) are
the difficulty in achieving a good sidewall profile and the increased dominance of surface leakage current as the device
dimensions shrink. We report the electrical and morphological results of test pixels for mid-wave infrared T2SL
photodiodes etched using a Cl2/Ar based inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) process and
passivated using SU-8 epoxy photoresist. The etch rate and sidewall surface morphology of GaSb, InAs, and InAs/GaSb
T2SL materials are compared after dry etching under the same conditions, leading to the determination of an optimal
etch rate. The effect of surface treatment using selected wet chemical etchants before passivation on the surface leakage
current is presented. Limitations of the dry etching recipe and further improvement of the sidewall verticality and
smoothness are also discussed. Good sidewall profiles and
bulk-limited dark currents are demonstrated for T2SL
photodiodes etched to depths between 1.5 and 3.5 μm with a pitch size down to 12 μm.
Our group is investigating nBn detectors based on bulk InAs(1-x)Sb(x) absorber (n) and contacts (n) with an AlAs(1-x)Sb(x)
barrier (B). The wide-band-gap barrier material exhibits a large conduction band offset and small valence band offset
with respect to the narrow-band-gap absorber material. An important matter to explore in this design is the barrier
parameters (material, composition and doping concentration) and how they effect the operation of the device. This paper
investigates AlAs(1-x)Sb(x) barriers with different compositions and doping levels and their effect on detector
characteristics, in particular, dark current density, responsivity and specific detectivity.
We report on the testing of a set of InAs/GaSb multicolor strained-layer superlattice photodetectors and Dotin-
Well detectors grown with InAs dots in InGaAs/GaAs wells fabricated by the Center for High Technology
Materials at the University of New Mexico. These devices are 2-color devices sensitive to near-IR and mid-IR
wavelengths. The wavelength sensitivities of these devices are a function of the applied forward and reverse bias.
We present measurements of the dark current and relative spectral response of these photodetectors measured
at both cryogenic and room temperatures.
We report on surface passivation studies for type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice (SL) PIN detectors designed to
operate in the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) region and the long wavelength infrared (LWIR) spectrum. The two SL
structures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy and processed into mesa diodes using standard lithography. A simple
spin on photoresist, SU-8, was used to passivate the sample after a wet etch. Optical and electrical measurements were
then undertaken on the two devices. The dark current density of a single pixel device with SU-8 passivation is reduced
by four orders of magnitude and by a factor of eight compared to devices without any passivation for the MWIR and
LWIR pin detectors, respectively, at 77K.
Next generation infrared photodetector technology will require focal plane array (FPA) systems that have multi-spectral
imaging capabilities. One proposed approach to realizing these multicolor devices is to use plasmonic resonators.
However, device development and characterization are commonly addressed with large front side illuminated single
pixel detectors on a supporting epitaxial substrate. The focal plane arrays on the other hand are backside illuminated.
Moreover, in a front side illuminated device, there is significant substrate scattering of the incident light. Here, we
propose a method for the accurate measurement of device performance by using a hybridized chip design (hybrid chip)
that is similar to the fabrication of an FPA system, with the substrate completely removed through a combination of
mechanical polishing and subsequent wet etching techniques. The hybrid chip was also designed to precisely
characterize the effects of varying mesa size by incorporating square mesa structures that range from 25 to 200 μm in
width. This approach offers an advantage over conventional device characterization because it incorporates mesas that
are on the same scale as those normally used in FPA systems, which should therefore provide a fast transition of new
photodetector technology into camera based systems. The photodetector technology chosen for this work is a multi-stack
quantum dots-in-a-well (DWELL) structure designed to absorb electromagnetic radiation in the mid-infrared spectral
range.
We report heterojunction bandgap engineered long wave infrared (LWIR) photodetectors based on type-II InAs/GaSb
strained layer superlattices (SLS) which show significant improvement in performance over conventional PIN devices.
For this study, a device with unipolar barriers but same absorber region as PIN has been studied and compared. Unipolar
barriers reduce the tunneling currents and SRH recombination current in the active region due to reduced electric field
drop across the active region, while maintaining the photocurrent level. Moreover, they also reduce the diffusion current
by blocking the minority carriers from the two sides of the junction. We report three orders of magnitude reduction in the
dark current with the use of unipolar barriers. The reduction in the dark current results in significant improvement in
signal to noise ratio, resulting in measured specific detectivity of 2×1010 (cm-√Hz)/W and dark current density of 8.7
mA/cm2 at -0.5 V applied bias, for the 50% cutoff wavelength of 10.8μm.
The development of InAsSb detectors based on the nBn design for the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) spectral region is
discussed. Comparisons of optical and electrical properties of InAsSb photodetectors with two different barrier material,
namely, AlAs 0.15Sb0.75 (structure A) and AlAs0.10Sb0.9 (structure B) are reported. The dark current density in the
AlAs0.15Sb0.85 is lower possibly due to the larger valence band offset. Clear room temperature spectral responses is
observed and a specific detectivity (D*) of 1.4x1012 and 1.01x1012 cmHz1/2/W at 0.2 V, and a responsivity of 0.87 and
1.66 A/W under 0.2 V biasing at 77 K and 3.5 μm, assuming unity gain, was obtained for structures A and B,
respectively.
We report on surface passivation using SU-8 for type-II InAs/GaSb strained layers superlattice (SLS) detectors
with a PIN design operating in mid-wave infrared (MWIR) spectral region (λ50% cut-off ~ 4.4 μm). Material growth and
characterization, single pixel device fabrication and testing, as well as focal plane array (FPA) processing are described.
High quality strain-balanced SLS material with FWHM of 1st SLS satellite peak of 36 arcsec is demonstrated. The
electrical and optical performance of devices passivated with SU-8 are reported and compared with those of unpassivated
devices. The dark current density of a single pixel device with SU-8 passivation showed four orders of magnitude
reduction compared to the device without any passivation. At 77K, the zero-bias responsivity and detectivity are equal to
1.1 A/W and 4 x 1012 Jones at 4μm, respectively, for the SU-8 passivated test pixel on the focal plane array.
The development of type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice (SL) detectors with nBn and pin designs for the long wave
infrared (LWIR) spectral region are discussed. First, SL growth optimization for LWIR region is explained,
then the structures based on LWIR nBn and pin are presented. Comparison of optical characterization for the
identical SL structures based on the nBn and pin designs is reported. Dark current density of 0.001 A/cm2 at
100 mV for nBn as compared to 0.2 A/cm2 for pin devices shows a reduction of dark current density using the
nBn design. At 77 K, the peak responsivity and detectivity are measured to be 5.86 A/W and 3.08 × 1010 Jones
for the nBn and 1.49 A/W and 4.2 × 109 Jones for the pin based design, respectively.
The InAs/GaSb Type II strained layer superlattice (SLS) is promising III-V material system for infrared (IR) devices due to the ability to engineer its bandgap between 3-30 μm and potentially have many advantages over current technologies such as high uniformity smaller leakage current due to reduced Auger recombination which are crucial for large IR focal plane arrays. However, an issue with this material system is that it relies on growth on GaSb substrates. These substrates are significantly more expensive than silicon, used for HgCdTe detectors, lower quality and are only available commercially as 3" diameters. Moreover it has to go through thinning down before it could be hybridized to readout integrated circuits. GaAs substrate is a possible alternative. We report on growth and characterisation of Type-II InAs/GaSb SLS photodiodes grown on GaAs substrates for mid-wave infrared with peak responses of 3.5 μm at 77K and 4.1 μm at 295K. Comparisons with similar structure grown on GaSb substrates show similar structural, optical and electrical characteristics. Broadening of X-ray rocking curves were observed on the structure grown on GaAs substrate. A full width half maximum (FWMH) of 25.2 arc sec. for the superlattice was observed near ~30.4 degree for the structure on GaSb substrate compared to near ~30.4 degree for structure grown on GaAs. However peak responsivity values of ~ 1.9 A/W and ~ 0.7 A/W were measured at 77K and 295K for devices grown on GaAs substrate. Room temperature responsivity suggests that these photodiodes are promising as high temperature IR detectors.
The development of type-II InAs/(In,Ga)Sb superlattice (SL) detectors with nBn design for single-color and
dual-color operation in MWIR and LWIR spectral regions are discussed. First, a 320 x 256 focal plane array (FPA) with
cutoff wavelength of 4.2 μm at 77K with average value of dark current density equal to 1 x 10-7 A/cm2 at Vb=0.7V (77
K) is reported. FPA reveals NEDT values of 23.8 mK for 16.3 ms integration time and f/4 optics. At 77K, the peak
responsivity and detectivity of FPA are estimated, respectively, to be 1.5 A/W and 6.4 x 1011 Jones, at 4 μm. Next,
implementation of the nBn concept on design of SL LWIR detectors is presented. The fabrication of single element nBn
based long wave infrared (LWIR ) with λc ~ 8.0 μm at Vb = +0.9 V and T = 100K detectors are reported. The bias
dependent polarity can be exploited to obtain two color response (λc1 ~ 3.5 μm and λc2 ~ 8.0 μm) under different polarity
of applied bias. The design and fabrication of this two color detector is presented. The dual band response (λc1 ~ 4.5 μm
and λc2 ~ 8 μm) is achieved by changing the polarity of applied bias. The spectral response cutoff wavelength shifts
from MWIR to LWIR when the applied bias voltage varies within a very small bias range (~100 mV).
Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice photodiodes for mid-IR (3-5μm) region grown by solid-source
molecular beam epitaxy are reported. Different approaches for realization of high quality interfaces
between compositionally abrupt GaSb and InAs layers during the growth of the SLs are discussed.
Mid wave infrared (&lgr;c~ 4.5 µm at T=300K) P-on-N designs of SLs detectors were developed to
ensure compatibility with most present day readout integrated circuits (ROICs). Variable size diode
arrays were fabricated using standard photolithography technique and hybridized to silicon fanout
chip. The sizes of the detector mesas were varied from 29μm x 29μm to 804μm x 804μm. The
single pixel characterization was undertaken at Santa Barbara Focal Plane. Temperature-dependent
IV measurements revealed dark current density below 1 x 10-8 A/cm2 at 82K and below 2 x 10-5
A/cm2 at 240K. (Vbias = 0V). Dynamic resistance-area product at zero bias was found to be ~ 1 x 105
Ωcm2 at 82K and 0.24 Ωcm2 at 240K. Influence of protective silicon nitride coating on reduction
surface leakage currents of detectors was investigated. We found that rsurface was equal to ~ 3 x 106
Ωcm indicating the proper surface preparation followed by room temperature Si3N4 deposition is
effective in reduction of leakage currents in type-II MWIR InAs/GaSb superlattice photodiodes.
For the shape measurement of the cold rolled strips, the new rectangular fringe shift method is introduced. The image saturation always occurs in the image center because of the total specular reflection of the strip surface. The central area saturation is reduced by using the circular gaussian density filter. Least-square fitting is used to find out the phase information of the strip. Phase map is obtained from the eight quasi-rectangular strip patterns and the shape of the object surface can be expressed by unwrapped phase map of 256 gray levels.
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