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.
Temperature-dependent minority carrier lifetimes of InAs/InAs1-xSbx type-II superlattices are presented. The longest lifetime at 11 K is 504 ± 40 ns and at 77 K is 412 ± 25 ns. Samples with long periods and small wave function overlaps have both non-radiative and radiative recombination mechanisms apparent, with comparable contributions from both near 77 K, and radiative recombination dominating at low temperatures. Samples with short periods and large wave function overlaps have radiative recombination dominating from 10 K until ~200 K. The improved lifetimes observed will enable long minority carrier lifetime superlattices to be designed for high quantum efficiency, low dark current infrared detectors.
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.
InAs/InAs1-xSbx strain-balanced superlattices (SLs) on GaSb are a viable alternative to the well-studied InAs/Ga1-xInxSb
SLs for mid- and long-wavelength infrared (MWIR and LWIR) laser and photodetector applications, but the InAs/InAs1-xSbx SLs are not as thoroughly investigated. Therefore, the valence band offset between InAs and InAs/InAs1-xSbx, a critical
parameter necessary to predict the SL bandgap, must be further examined to produce InAs/InAs1-xSbx SLs for devices
operational at MWIR and LWIR wavelengths. The effective bandgap energies of InAs/InAs1-xSbx SLs with x = 0.28 -
0.40 are designed using a three-band envelope function approximation model. Multiple 0.5 μm-thick SL samples are
grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb substrates. Structural characterization using x-ray diffraction and atomic
force microscopy reveals excellent crystalline properties with SL zero-order peak full-width-half-maximums between 30
and 40 arcsec and 20 x 20 μm2 area root-mean-square roughnesses of 1.6 - 2.7 A. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of
these samples cover 5 to 8 μm, and the band offset between InAs and InAs/InAs1-xSbx is obtained by fitting the PL peaks to
the calculated values. The bowing in the valence band is found to depend on the initial InAs/InSb valence band offset
and changes linearly with x as CEv_bowing = 1.58x - 0.62 eV when an InAs/InAs1-xSbx bandgap bowing parameter of 0.67 eV is
assumed. A fractional valence band offset, Qv = ΔEv/ΔEg, of 1.75 ± 0.03 is determined and is practically constant in the
composition range studied.
This paper describes structural properties of strain-balanced InAs/InAs1-xSbx type-II superlattices (SLs) with random and
modulated InAs/InAs1-xSbx alloy layers as grown on GaSb(001) substrates either by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) or
metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The SL periods and the average Sb compositions of the InAs/InAs1-xSbx alloys are
determined by comparison of simulations with (004) high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The most
intense SL peaks no longer correspond to the zero-order peak because of the large SL periods, and XRD studies of thick
individual InAs/InAs1-xSbx and InAs layers show envelope modulations of the SL peaks on either side of the substrate peak,
causing some satellite peaks to be more intense than the zero-order SL peak. From the substrate - zero-order SL peak
separations, the average SL strain in the growth direction is revealed to be less than ~0.2%. Calculated bandgap energies
agree closely with photoluminescence peaks for mid-wavelength and long-wavelength infrared samples. Cross-sectional
electron micrographs reveal the entire structure including the GaSb substrate and buffer layer, the SL periods, and the
GaSb cap layer. Growth defects are occasionally visible, some originating at the substrate/buffer interface, some starting
in the middle of the buffer layer, and some located only just within the SL. Higher magnification images of the SLs
grown by MBE reveal that interfaces for InAs/InAs1-xSbx deposited on InAs are considerably more abrupt than those of InAs
deposited on InAs/InAs1-xSbx with the most likely reason being segregation of the Sb surfactant during layer growth.
Multiband infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) with small pixel pitch have increased device processing complexity since
they often need more than two terminals per pixel for readouts. Simpler FPAs are enabled by our newly demonstrated
optically-addressed two-terminal multiband photodetector architecture. For long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) and midwavelength
infrared (MWIR) imaging applications, the use of quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIP) has been
investigated. The results show that the utilization of unipolar QWIPs with bipolar near infrared (NIR) devices is feasible
with this new optical-addressing scheme. Potential device performance is analyzed with an equivalent AC circuit model.
Proposed design maximizes fill factor and enables small pixel-pitch FPA with single indium-bump per pixel for
NIR/MWIR/LWIR multiband detection capability.
Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals and their solid films created a promising field of research during the last decade.
We present a rate equation model to simulate unipolar electron transport in DC-biased one dimensional chain of PbSe
nanocrystals. Tunneling, cooling, trapping and heating of electrons are modeled with transition rates and parameters.
Three lowest orbitals in each quantum dot are taken into account to simulate unipolar transport through nanocrystal
solids. Transitions between the orbitals and neighbor quantum dots are modeled using experimental reports in the
literature. Numerical solutions of the rate equations for each state results in a balance between all states in the device.
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