Optimization of a solar-blind and middle infrared two-colour photodetector using GaN-based bulk material and quantum wells

This paper calculates the wavelengths of the interband transitions as a function of the Al mole fraction of Al_xGa_1-xN bulk material. It is finds that when the Al mole fraction is between 0.456 and 0.639, the wavelengths correspond to the solar-blind (250~nm to 280~nm). The influence of the structure parameters of Al_yGa_1-yN/GaN quantum wells on the wavelength and absorption coefficient of intersubband transitions has been investigated by solving the Schr?dinger and Poisson equations self-consistently. The Al mole fraction of the Al_yGa_1-yN barrier changes from 0.30 to 0.46, meanwhile the width of the well changes from 2.9~nm to 2.2~nm, for maximal intersubband absorption in the window of the air (3~μm <λ <5~μm). The absorption coefficient of the intersubband transition between the ground state and the first excited state decreases with the increase of the wavelength. The results are finally used to discuss the prospects of GaN-based bulk material and quantum wells for a solar-blind and middle infrared two-colour photodetector.     

InP基InGaAlAs/InGaAsSb应变量子阱激光器的子带跃迁计算

采用有效质量模型下的4×4 Luttinger-Kohn哈密顿量矩阵对In0.53Ga0.39Al0.08As/InxGa1-xAs0.9Sb0.1量子阱结构的能带进行了计算。求得了C1-HH1跃迁波长随In组分及阱宽的变化关系,并采用力学平衡模型计算了此应变材料体系在生长时的临界厚度。结果表明,在结构设计和材料生长中采用合适的材料组分和阱宽,在InP基InGaAlAs/InGaAsSb应变量子阱激光器中能够实现1.6～2.5 μm近中红外波段的激射波长。     

Dark currents of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum-well infrared photodetectors

We study the dark current of the GaAs/AlGaAs quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP) by assuming a drift-diffusion carrier transport in the barriers where the electric fields are obtained by the current continuity condition and the self-consistent energy band structure. It has been shown that due to the current continuity condition, the dark currents across the QWIP devices are determined by the thermionic emission from the emitter to the multiple quantum well (MQW) region. The self-consistent calculation of the Schrödinger and Poisson equations shows a weak electric field in the barrier region connecting to the emitter (much smaller than the average field across the QWIP at low bias) due to the accumulation of carriers in the triangle quantum well formed at the emitter-MQW interface, which results in a very small dark current at low bias. The numerical results explain well our experimental observation.     

半导体红外量子点发展现状与前景

半导体量子点具有独特的光学与电学性质,特别是红外量子点良好的光稳定性和生物相容性等优点使其在光电器件、生物医学等领域受到广泛关注。综述了吸收或发射光谱位于红外波段的量子点在激光、能源、光电探测以及生物医学等方面的应用现状与前景,归纳了适用于红外量子点材料的制备方法,并对比了不同方法在应用中的优势。半导体红外量子点材料选择丰富、应用形式多样:InAs量子点被动锁模激光器在1.3 μm波长处产生7.3 GHz的近衍射极限脉冲输出;InAs/GaAs量子点双波长激光器可泵浦产生0.6 nW的THz波;PbS量子点掺杂光纤放大器可在1.53 μm中心波长处实现10.5 dB光增益,带宽160 nm;CdSeTe量子点敏化太阳能电池、异质结Si基量子点太阳能电池的总转换效率可达8%和14.8%;胶质HgTe量子点制成的量子点红外探测器(QDIP)可实现3 μm~5 μm中波红外探测,Ge/Si量子点可实现3 μm~7 μm红外探测;CdTe/ZnSe核壳量子点可用于检测DNA序列的损伤与突变。半导体红外量子点上述应用形式的发展,将进一步促进红外光电系统向高效、快速、大规模集成的方向演进,也将极大地促进临床医学中活体成像检测的应用推广。     

量子阱共振腔增强型光电探测器的高功率特性

通过测量1.55 μm量子阱共振腔增强型光电探测器的光电流随反向电压和光功率的变化关系,以及模拟能带结构、电场分布等特性,研究了量子阱共振腔增强型光电探测器的高功率特性.分析了光电流的产生机制,测量了1.064 μm量子阱共振腔增强型光电探测器的光电响应,模拟了具有不同势垒高度的量子阱共振腔增强型光电探测器的光电响应.从实验和模拟两方面证明了量子阱的势垒高度是影响量子阱共振腔增强型光电探测器高功率特性的最主要因素.     

Band structure and impurity effects on optical properties of quantum well and quantum dot infrared photodetectors

We examined theoretically band structure and discrete dopant effects in the quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) and the quantum dot infrared photodetector (QDIP). We find that in QWIPs discrete dopant effects can induce long wavelength infrared absorption through impurity assisted intra-subband optical transitions. In QDIPs, we find that a strategically placed dopant atom in a quantum dot can easily destroy the symmetry and modify the selection rule. This mechanism could be partially responsible for normal incidence absorption observed in low-aspect-ratio quantum dots.     

Theoretical modelling of XBn T2SLs InAs/InAsSb/B-AlAsSb mid-wave detector operating below thermoelectrical cooling

The paper reports on the barrier mid-wave infrared InAs/InAsSb (x_Sb = 0.4) type-II superlattice detector operating below thermoelectrical cooling. AlAsSb with Sb composition, x_Sb = 0.97; barrier doping, N_D < 2×10¹⁶ cm^?3 leading to valence band offset below 100 meV in relation to the active layer doping, N_D = 5×10¹⁵ cm^?3 was proved to be proper material not introducing extra barrier in valence band in the analyzed temperature range in XBn architectures. The detectivity of the simulated structure was assessed at the level of ～ 10¹¹ Jones at T ～ 100 K assuming absorber thickness, d = 3 μm. The detector’s architecture for high frequency response operation, τ_s = 420 ps (T ～ 77 K) was presented with a reduced active layer of d = 1 μm.     

Study of period number effect in the superlattice infrared photodetector

Superlattices have been demonstrated previously by our group in the design of the multicolor infrared photodetector. In general, the period number of the superlattice may be up to several dozens. In this paper, we have investigated the performance of the infrared photodetectors especially with 3, 5 and 15 periods. The detector structure contains a thick blocking barrier embedded between two superlattices with different period numbers but with the same well and barrier widths. This double-superlattice structure shows switchable spectral responses between two spectral regions by the voltage polarities. The photoresponse in each spectral region is also tunable by the magnitude of the applied voltage. The voltage-dependent behavior reveals the photoelectron relaxation and transport mechanism in the superlattice miniband. Superlattice with few periods has high electron group velocity, less relaxation effect and less collection efficiency. Therefore the superlattice with few periods may have better responsivity and narrower photoresponse range than the one with many periods. Based on the experimental results of our devices, it is observed that the superlattice with fewer periods has better detectivity, responsivity, wider range of the operational temperature, and more flexible miniband engineering than the conventional multiple quantum well infrared photodetector.     

折射/谐衍射红外双波段成像光谱仪系统研究

为了获取足够的目标信息,充分利用中波红外和长波红外的光谱信息,建立了谐衍射中、长波红外超光谱成像系统.利用谐衍射元件独特的色散特性,将谐衍射透镜应用于中、长波红外超光谱成像系统中,使系统在中波红外3.7—4.8 μm和长波红外8—12 μm的2个红外大气窗口内获取数百个光谱图像.设计结果表明,中波红外波段,在18对线/mm处光学系统的调制传递函数(MTF)大于0.55,长波红外波段,在13对线/mm处光学系统的MTF大于0.5,光学系统的衍射环绕能,在中波红外波段30 μm半径范围内大于85%,在长波红外     

Quantum structures for multiband photon detection

The work describes multiband photon detectors based on semiconductor micro-and nano-structures. The devices considered include quantum dot, homojunction, and heterojunction structures. In the quantum dot structures, transitions are from one state to another, while free carrier absorption and internal photoemission play the dominant role in homo or heterojunction detectors. Quantum dots-in-a-well (DWELL) detectors can tailor the response wavelength by varying the size of the well. A tunnelling quantum dot infrared photodetector (T-QDIP) could operate at room temperature by blocking the dark current except in the case of resonance. Photoexcited carriers are selectively collected from InGaAs quantum dots by resonant tunnelling, while the dark current is blocked by AlGaAs/InGaAs tunnelling barriers placed in the structure. A two-colour infrared detector with photoresponse peaks at ∼6 and ∼17 μm at room temperature will be discussed. A homojunction or heterojunction interfacial workfunction internal photoemission (HIWIP or HEIWIP) infrared detector, formed by a doped emitter layer, and an intrinsic layer acting as the barrier followed by another highly doped contact layer, can detect near infrared (NIR) photons due to interband transitions and mid/far infrared (MIR/FIR) radiation due to intraband transitions. The threshold wavelength of the interband response depends on the band gap of the barrier material, and the MIR/FIR response due to intraband transitions can be tailored by adjusting the band offset between the emitter and the barrier. GaAs/AlGaAs will provide NIR and MIR/FIR dual band response, and with GaN/AlGaN structures the detection capability can be extended into the ultraviolet region. These detectors are useful in numerous applications such as environmental monitoring, medical diagnosis, battlefield-imaging, space astronomy applications, mine detection, and remote-sensing. The paper presented there appears in Infrared Photoelectronics, edited by Antoni Rogalski, Eustace L. Dereniak, Fiodor F. Sizov, Proc. SPIE Vol. 5957, 59570W (2005).     

GaAs/AlGaAs超晶格的光致发光

在室温下测量了GaAs/A l0.3Ga0.7As超晶格的光致发光,发现在波长λ=761 nm处存在一较强的发光光峰,此发光峰目前尚未见报道。经理论分析表明,此峰是量子阱中的第一激发态电子与受主空穴复合发光。实验还观测到在λ=786 nm处,λ=798 nm处和λ=824 nm处分别存在一发光峰,分析表明λ=786 nm处的发光峰为量子阱阱中费米能级附近的电子与轻空穴复合发光;λ=798 nm处的发光峰为量子阱内的基态电子到轻空穴的复合发光;λ=824 nm处的发光峰为阱中激子复合复合发光。理论计算与实验结果符合的很好。     

含有AlGaAs插入层的InAs/GaAs三色量子点红外探测器

本文报道了采用分子束外延技术制备的三色InAs/GaAs量子点红外探测器. 器件采用nin型结构, 吸收区结构是在InGaAs量子阱中生长含有AlGaAs插入层的InAs量子点, 器件在77 K下的红外光电流谱有三个峰值: 6.3, 10.2和11 μm. 文中分析了它们的跃迁机制, 并且分别进行了指认. 因为有源区采用了不对称结构, 所以器件在外加偏压正负方向不同时, 光电流谱峰值的强度存在一些差异. 不论在正偏压或者负偏压下, 当偏压达到较高值, 再进一步增大偏压时, 都出现了对应于连续态的跃迁峰强度明显下降的现象, 这是由量子点基态与阱外连续态的波函数交叠随着偏压进一步增大而迅速减小导致的.     

On the structured imperfections of bulk GaSb using high resolution transmission electron microscopy

GaSb is a promising III-V direct band gap semiconductor with sphalerite type FCC structure. Its band gap value has made it an excellent candidate for the conversion of infrared radiation to electricity. The wafers of GaSb, that were studied, originated from ingots grown with the Liquid Encapsulated Chochralski method. In all cases, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and Particle Induced X-ray Emission measurements demonstrated an excess of Sb. In the present work conventional transmission electron microscopy (CTEM) and high resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used in order to determine the effect of the Sb excess in the structural characteristics of the material, mainly after thermal treatment. A structure model based on the ordering of the Sb antisites (Sb(Ga)) rather than the Ga vacancies (V(Ga)) is proposed for the observed modulation in small areas of the material.     

甚长波量子阱红外探测器光栅耦合的研究

采用平面波展开的散射矩阵方法研究n型甚长波量子阱红外探测器的二维衍射光栅，并同时从实验方面研究了其红外透射光谱.研究表明，n型量子阱器件的光栅耦合是传输场和倏逝场共同作用的结果.对于n型量子阱红外探测器的光栅耦合，光栅周期、光栅深度和占空比三者之间相互影响；要达到好的光学耦合效果，需要根据量子阱器件的峰值探测波长选择合适的光栅参数. 关键词： n型量子阱红外探测器 二维光栅 光耦合     

Peak response wavelengths of p- and n-type InxGa1-xAs-InP quantum well infrared photodetectors

p- and n-type In_xGa_1-xAs-InP quantum wells are suitable for multi-color infrared photodetector applications in atmospheric windows due to improved barrier quality and carrier-transport properties. We apply the k ·p method to study the energy band structures and optical transition properties, which show that the peak response wavelengths of p- and n-type In_xGa_1-xAs-InP quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) are determined not only by the energy distance from the ground sublevels in the quantum well to the energy band edges of extended states, but also by the characteristics of the extended states. The optical phonon scattering process converts the broad absorption spectrum of the p-QWIP from 0 to 16 m into a short-wavelength spectrum centered at 4.5 m. The transport of electrons in the extended states of the n-QWIP is characterized by running wave boundary conditions, resulting in a theoretically optimal absorption rate by a 8-nm-thick In_0.53Ga_0.47As quantum well. Moreover, a conduction-band offset of 0.5 for an In_xGa_1-xAs-InP (x=0.53) heterostructure gives the best data fitting of theoretical and experimental response peaks, whereas 0.55 is generally recommended in the literature. PACS 73.21.-b; 73.63.Hs; 78.67.-n     

Ga对新型远红外Te基硫系玻璃光学性能的影响

用传统熔融淬冷法制备了新型远红外Te基硫系玻璃(100-x)(GeTe₄)-xGa (x=0, 5, 10 mol%).利用差热分析(DTA)、可见/近红外吸收光谱、红外透射光谱等技术,在GeTe₄玻璃的基础上,通过引入较高配位金属Ga, 研究其对玻璃组成、结构和性能的影响,利用经典的Tauc方程计算了样品光学带隙允许的直接跃迁、允许的间接跃迁及Urbach能量.分析结果表明:在GeTe₄玻璃中引入 关键词： 光学材料 硫系玻璃 光学带隙 红外光谱     

Sb-based IR photodetector epiwafers on 100 mm GaSb substrates manufactured by MBE

Antimony-based materials continue to provide great interest for infrared photodetector and focal plane array imaging applications. Detector architectures include InAs/Ga(In)Sb strained-layer superlattices, which create a type-II band alignment that can be tailored to cover a wide range of the mid- and long-wavelength bands by varying the thickness and composition of the constituent materials, and bulk InAsSb-based XBn barrier designs. These materials can provide desirable detector features such as wider wavelength range, suppression of tunneling currents, improved quantum efficiency, and higher operating temperatures. In order to bring these advantages to market, a reliable manufacturing process must be established on large diameter substrates. We report our latest work on the molecular beam epitaxy growth of Sb-detector epiwafers on 100 mm diameter GaSb substrates in a multi-wafer production format. The growth process has been established to address the challenges of these demanding structures, including the large numbers of alternating thin layers and mixed group-V elements. Various characterization techniques demonstrate excellent surface morphology, crystalline structure quality, and optical properties of the epiwafers. The measured wafer-to-wafer consistency and cross-wafer uniformity demonstrate the potential for volume manufacturing.     

Dots,QWISPs, and BIRDs

We report work on several quantum structure based infrared detectors. We describe the concept of the submonolayer quantum dot based infrared photodetectors, report device results, and present imaging results from a megapixel focal plane array. We describe the concept and experimental progress of the quantum well intra-subband photodetector (QWISP), which is closely related to the quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP), but uses the dopant-assisted intra-subband absorption mechanism in quantum wells for normal-incidence far infrared/terahertz radiation detection. We discuss aspects of superlattice heterostructure based barrier infrared detectors (BIRDs).     

Three-color broadband asymmetric quantum well infrared photodetectors in long wavelength infrared range (LWIR)

A theoretical investigation of a GaAs/AlGaAs-material-system-based four quantum well infrared detector structures consisting of ten periods of three asymmetric quantum well units are presented. Each quantum well in the units is sensitive to wavelengths of 8.75, 10, and 11.75 μm, respectively. The effect of the barrier thicknesses on the responsivity spectra is discussed with respect to barrier transmissions under negative and positive bias voltages. Each detector structure shows voltage-tunable broadband and multicolor features in 8–12-μm long wavelength infrared range (LWIR).     

Study on the p-type QWIP-LED device

A p-type quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) integrated with a light-emitting diode (LED) (named QWIP-LED) was fabricated and studied. The infrared photo-response spectrum was obtained from the device resistance variation and the near-infrared photo-emission intensity variation. A good agreement between these two spectra was observed, which demonstrates that the long-wavelength infrared radiation around 7.5 μm has been transferred to the near-infrared light at 0.8 μm by the photo-electronic process in the QWIP-LED structure. Moreover, the experimentally observed infrared response wavelength is in good agreement with the theoretical calculation value of 7.7 μm. The results on the upconversion of the infrared radiation will be very useful for the new infrared focal plane array technology.