Complementary barrier infrared detector (CBIRD) with double tunnel junction contact and quantum dot barrier infrared detector (QD-BIRD)

The InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice based complementary barrier infrared detector (CBIRD) has already demonstrated very good performance in long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) detection. In this work, we describe results on a modified CBIRD device that incorporates a double tunnel junction contact designed for robust device and focal plane array processing. The new device also exhibited reduced turn-on voltage. We also report results on the quantum dot barrier infrared detector (QD-BIRD). By incorporating self-assembled InSb quantum dots into the InAsSb absorber of the standard nBn detector structure, the QD-BIRD extend the detector cutoff wavelength from ∼4.2 μm to 6 μm, allowing the coverage of the mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) transmission window. The device has been observed to show infrared response at 225 K.     

QWIP focal plane arrays on InP substrates for single and dual band thermal imagers

Alternative material systems on InP substrate provide certain advantages for mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR), long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) and dual band MWIR/LWIR quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) focal plane arrays (FPAs). While InP/InGaAs and InP/InGaAsP LWIR QWIPs provide much higher responsivity when compared to the AlGaAs/GaAs QWIPs, AlInAs/InGaAs system facilitates completely lattice matched single band MWIR and dual band MWIR/LWIR FPAs.We present an extensive review of the studies on InP based single and dual band QWIPs. While reviewing the characteristics of InP/InGaAs and InP/InGaAsP LWIR QWIPs at large format FPA level, we experimentally demonstrate that the cut-off wavelength of AlInAs/InGaAs QWIPs can be tuned in a sufficiently large range in the MWIR atmospheric window by only changing the quantum well (QW) width at the lattice matched composition. The cut-off wavelength can be shifted up to ～5.0 μm with a QW width of 22 Å in which case very broad spectral response (Δλ/λ_p = ～30%) and a reasonably high peak detectivity are achievable leading to a noise equivalent temperature difference as low as 14 mK (f/2) with 25 μm pitch in a 640 × 512 FPA. We also present the characteristics of InP based two-stack QWIPs with wavelengths properly tuned in the MWIR and LWIR bands for dual color detection. The results clearly demonstrate that InP based material systems display high potential for dual band MWIR/LWIR QWIP FPAs needed by third generation thermal imagers.     

Growth conditions effects on optical properties of InAs quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (1 1 3)A substrate

We have investigated the optical properties of InAs/GaAs (1 1 3)A quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) with different growth rates by photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) as a function of the excitation density and the sample temperature (10–300 K). Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) is used to investigate the formation process of InAs quantum dots (QDs). A redshift of the InAs QDs PL band emission was observed when the growth rate was increased. This result was explained by the increase of the InAs quantum dot size with increasing growth rate. A significant redshift was observed when the arsenic flux was decreased. The evolution of the PL peak energy with increasing temperature has showed an S-shaped form due to the localization effects and is attributed to the efficient relaxation process of carriers in different InAs quantum dots and to the exciton transfer localized at the wetting layer.     

Optical investigation of InAs/InP(1 0 0) quantum dots grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy

We report on the optical characteristics of InAs quantum dots based on the InP(1 0 0) substrate grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy without assisting any other methods. The photoluminescence was carefully investigated by adjusting the thickness of InAs layers and the growth temperature. A wide range of emitting peaks is obtained with the increase in the thickness of InAs layers. In addition, we find that the morphology and shape of quantum dots also greatly depend on InAs layers. The images of atomic force microscopy show that the quantum dots like forming into quantum dashes elongated along the [0 1 ?1] direction when the thickness of InAs layers increased. A critical thickness of formation quantum dots or quantum dash is obtained. At the same time, we observe that the growth temperature also has a great impact on the emission wavelength peaks. High qualities of InAs/InP(1 0 0) quantum dots providing their emission wavelength in 1.55 μm are obtained, and good performances of quantum dots lasers are fabricated.     

Improvement of the optical property and uniformity of self-assembled InAs/InGaAs quantum dots by layer-by-layer temperature and substrate rotation

The influence of layer-by-layer temperature and substrate rotation on the optical property and uniformity of self-assembled InAs/In_0.2Ga_0.8As/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) gown with an As₂ source was investigated. An improvement in the optical property of QDs was obtained by the precise control and optimization of growth temperature utilized for each layer, i.e., InAs QDs, InGaAs quantum wells, GaAs barriers and AlGaAs layers, respectively. By using a substrate rotation, the QD density increased from ∼1.4×10¹⁰ to ∼3.2×10¹⁰ cm⁻² and its size also slightly increased, indicating a good quality of QDs. It is found that the use of an appropriate substrate rotation during growth improves the room-temperature (RT) optical property and uniformity of QDs across the wafer. For the QD sample with a substrate rotation of 6 rpm, the RT photoluminescence (PL) intensity is much higher and the standard deviation of RT-PL full-width at half-maximum is decreased by 35% compared to that grown without substrate rotation.     

Confinement-enhanced dots-in-a-well QDIPs with operating temperature over 200 K

LWIR InAs/Al_0.3Ga_0.7As/In_0.15Ga_0.85As confinement-enhanced DWELL (CE-DWELL) QDIPs with operation temperatures higher than 200 K are reported. A thin Al_0.3Ga_0.7As barrier layer was inserted above the InAs QDs to improve the confinement of QD states in the In_0.15Ga_0.85As DWELL structure and the device performance. The better confinement of the electronic states increases the oscillator strength of the infrared absorption. The higher excited state energy also improves the escape probability of the photoelectrons. Compared with the conventional DWELL QDIPs, the quantum efficiency increases for more than 20 times and the detectivity is an order of magnitude higher at 77 K. With better device parameters of CE-DWELL, it is possible to achieve high quantum efficiency, high operating temperature and long wavelength detection at the same time.     

Large format voltage tunable dual-band QWIP FPAs

Third generation thermal imagers with dual/multi-band operation capability are the prominent focus of the current research in the field of infrared detection. Dual band quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP) focal plane arrays (FPAs) based on various detection and fabrication approaches have been reported. One of these approaches is the three-contact design allowing simultaneous integration of the signals in both bands. However, this approach requires three In bumps on each pixel leading to a complicated fabrication process and lower fill factor.If the spectral response of a two-stack QWIP structure can effectively be shifted between two spectral bands with the applied bias, dual band sensors can be implemented with the conventional FPA fabrication process requiring only one In bump on each pixel making it possible to fabricate large format dual band FPAs at the cost and yield of single band detectors. While some disadvantages of this technique have been discussed in the literature, the detailed assessment of this approach has not been performed at the FPA level yet. We report the characteristics of a large format (640 × 512) voltage tunable dual-band QWIP FPA constructed through series connection of MWIR AlGaAs–InGaAs and LWIR AlGaAs–GaAs multi-quantum well stacks, and provide a detailed assessment of the potential of this approach at both pixel and FPA levels. The dual band FPA having MWIR and LWIR cut-off wavelengths of 5.1 and 8.9 μm provided noise equivalent temperature differences as low as 14 and 31 mK (f/1.5) with switching voltages within the limits applicable by commercial read-out integrated circuits. The results demonstrate the promise of the approach for achieving large format low cost dual band FPAs.     

Quantum dot p-i-n structure in an electric field

Time-resolved photoluminescence (PL), steady-state PL, and electroluminescence (EL) techniques have been used to characterize the carrier relaxation processes and carrier escape mechanisms in self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot (SAQD) p-i-n structures under reverse bias. The measurements were performed between 5 K and room temperature on a ring mesa sample as a function of bias. At 100 K, the PL decay time originating from the n  =  1 SAQD decreases with increasing reverse bias from ∼3 ns under flat band condition to∼ 400 ps for a bias of −3 V. The data can be explained by a simple model based on electron recombination in the quantum dots (QDs) or escape out of the dots. The escape can occur by one of three possible routes: direct tunneling out of the distribution of excited electronic levels, thermally assisted tunneling of ground state electrons through the upper excited electronic states or thermionic emission to the wetting layer.     

Quantum dot nanostructures for multi-band infrared detection

A dual-band (two-color) tunneling-quantum dot infrared photodetector (T-QDIP) structure, which provides wavelength selectivity using bias voltage polarity, is reported. In this T-QDIP, photoexcitation takes place in InGaAs QDs and the excited carriers tunnel through an AlGaAs/InGaAs/AlGaAs double-barrier by means of resonant tunneling when the bias voltage required to line up the QD excited state and the double-barrier state is applied. Two double-barriers incorporated on the top and bottom sides of the QDs provide tunneling conditions for the second and the first excited state in the QDs (one double-barrier for each QD excited state) under forward and reverse bias, respectively. This field dependent tunneling for excited carriers in the T-QDIP is the basis for the operating wavelength selection. Experimental results showed that the T-QDIP exhibits three response peaks at ～4.5 (or 4.9), 9.5, and 16.9 μm and selection of either the 9.5 or the 16.9 μm peak is obtained by the bias polarity. The peak detectivity (at 9.5 and 16.9 μm) of this detector is in the range of 1.0–6.0 × 10¹² Jones at 50 K. This detector does not provide a zero spectral crosstalk due to the peak at 4.5 μm not being bias-selectable. To overcome this, a quantum dot super-lattice infrared photodetector (SL-QDIP), which provides complete bias-selectability of the response peaks, is presented. The active region consists of two quantum dot super-lattices separated by a graded barrier, enabling photocurrent generation only in one super-lattice for a given bias polarity. According to theoretical predictions, a combined response due to three peaks at 2.9, 3.7, and 4.2 μm is expected for reverse bias, while a combined response of three peaks at 5.1, 7.8, and 10.5 μm is expected for forward bias.     

1024 × 1024 Format pixel co-located simultaneously readable dual-band QWIP focal plane

This paper reports the first demonstration of the megapixel-simultaneously-readable and pixel-co-registered dual-band quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) focal plane array (FPA). The dual-band QWIP device was developed by stacking two multi-quantum-well stacks tuned to absorb two different infrared wavelengths. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) band extends from 4.4 to 5.1 μm and the FWHM of a long-wave infrared (LWIR) band extends from 7.8 to 8.8 μm. Dual-band QWIP detector arrays were hybridized with custom fabricated direct injection read out integrated circuits (ROICs) using the indium bump hybridization technique. The initial dual-band megapixel QWIP FPAs were cooled to 70 K operating temperature. The preliminary data taken from the first megapixel QWIP FPA has shown system NEΔT of 27 and 40 mK for MWIR and LWIR bands, respectively.     

Modulation transfer function of QWIP and superlattice focal plane arrays

Modulation transfer function (MTF) is the ability of an imaging system to faithfully image a given object. The MTF of an imaging system quantifies the ability of the system to resolve or transfer spatial frequencies. In this paper we will discuss the detail MTF measurements of a 1024 × 1024 pixel multi-band quantum well infrared photodetector and 320 × 256 pixel long-wavelength InAs/GaSb superlattice infrared focal plane arrays.     

Molecular Beam Epitaxy growth and characterization of silicon – Doped InAs dot in a well quantum dot infrared photo detector (DWELL-QDIP)

We report the growth by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), fabrication and characterization of silicon doped 20 layer InAs dot in a well quantum dot infrared photo detector (DWELL-QDIP) device structures. Two structures with InAs dots of vertical heights of 50 Å and 40 Å were compared. A 2–8 μm band normal incidence photo response of the detector with polarization and bias dependence was obtained at 77 K. The specific peak detectivity D1 be 0.8 × 10⁹ Jones for one of the detectors.     

Demonstration of 640 × 512 pixels long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) quantum dot infrared photodetector (QDIP) imaging focal plane array

We have exploited the artificial atom-like properties of epitaxially grown self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) for the development of high operating temperature long wavelength infrared (LWIR) focal plane arrays (FPAs). QD infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) are expected to outperform quantum well infrared detectors (QWIPs) and are expected to offer significant advantages over II–VI material based FPAs. We have used molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technology to grow multi-layer LWIR dot-in-a-well (DWELL) structures based on the InAs/InGaAs/GaAs material system. This hybrid quantum dot/quantum well device offers additional control in wavelength tuning via control of dot-size and/or quantum well sizes. DWELL QDIPs were also experimentally shown to absorb both 45° and normally incident light. Thus we have employed a reflection grating structure to further enhance the quantum efficiency. The most recent devices exhibit peak responsivity out to 8.1 μm. Peak detectivity of the 8.1 μm devices has reached 1 × 10¹⁰ Jones at 77 K. Furthermore, we have fabricated the first long-wavelength 640 × 512 pixels QDIP imaging FPA. This QDIP FPA has produced excellent infrared imagery with noise equivalent temperature difference of 40 mK at 60 K operating temperature.     

Selective optical doping to predict the performance and reveal the origin of photocurrent peaks in quantum dots-in-a-well infrared photodetectors

Resonant optical pumping across the band gap was used as artificial doping in InAs/In_0.15Ga_0.85As/GaAs quantum dots-in-a-well infrared photodetectors. Through efficient filling of the quantum dot energy levels by simultaneous optical pumping into the ground states and the excited states of the quantum dots, the response was increased by a factor of 10. Low temperature photocurrent peaks observed at 120 and 148 meV were identified as intersubband transitions emanating from the quantum dot ground state and the quantum dot excited state, respectively by a selective increase of the electron population in the different quantum dot energy levels.     

320 × 256 Short-/Mid-Wavelength dual-color infrared focal plane arrays based on Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice

Short-/Mid-Wavelength dual-color infrared focal plane arrays based on Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice are demonstrated on GaSb substrate. The material is grown with 50% cut-off wavelength of 2.9 μm and 5.1 μm for the blue channel and red channel, separately at 77 K. 320 × 256 focal plane arrays fabricated in this wafer is characterized. The peak quantum efficiency without antireflective coating is 37% at 1.7 μm under no bias voltage and 28% at 3.2 μm under bias voltage of 130 mV. The peak specific detectivity are 1.51 × 10¹² cm·Hz^1/2/W at 2.5 μm and 6.11x10¹¹ cm·Hz^1/2/W at 3.2 μm. At 77 K, the noise equivalent difference temperature presents average values of 107 mK and 487 mK for the blue channel and red channel separately.     

Luminescence properties of InAs quantum dots formed by a modified self-assembled method

The luminescence properties of self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) on GaAs (1 0 0) substrates grown by molecular beam epitaxy have been investigated using temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL (TRPL). InAs QDs were grown using an In-interruption growth technique, in which the indium flux was periodically interrupted. InAs QDs grown using In-interruption showed reduced PL linewidth, redshifted PL emission energy, increased energy level spacing between the ground state and the first excited state, and reduced decay time, indicating an improvement in the size distribution and size/shape of QDs.     

Evolution of array format of longwave infrared Type-II SLS FPAs with high quantum efficiency

In the remarkably short span of 2 years, longwave infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) of Type-II InAs/GaSb strained layer superlattice (SLS) photodiodes have advanced from 320 × 256 format to 1024 × 1024 format while simultaneously shrinking the pitch from 30 μm to 18 μm. Despite a dark current that is presently higher than state-of-the-art mercury cadmium telluride photodiodes with the same ∼10 μm cutoff wavelength, the high pixel operability and high (∼50%) quantum efficiency of SLS FPAs enable excellent imagery with temporal noise equivalent temperature difference better than 30 mK with F/4 optics, integration time less than 1 ms, and operating temperature of 77 K or colder. We present current FPA performance of this promising sensor technology.     

Growth of InAs/GaAs quantum dots on germanium-on-insulator-on-silicon substrate for silicon photonics

We report the growth of self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) on germanium-on-insulator-on-silicon (GeOI/Si) substrate by antimony-mediated metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The influence of various growth procedures for the GaAs buffer layer on the QD formation and optical quality was investigated. We obtained QDs with density above 10¹⁰ cm⁻², and ground state emission in the 1.3 μm band at room temperature. These results demonstrate the promising suitability of germanium-on-insulator for the monolithic integration of QD-based and other GaAs-based photonic devices on silicon.     

Performance of mid-wave T2SL detectors with heterojunction barriers

A heterojunction T2SL barrier detector which effectively blocks majority carrier leakage over the pn-junction was designed and fabricated for the mid-wave infrared (MWIR) atmospheric transmission window. The layers in the barrier region comprised AlSb, GaSb and InAs, and the thicknesses were selected by using k · P-based energy band modeling to achieve maximum valence band offset, while maintaining close to zero conduction band discontinuity in a way similar to the work of Abdollahi Pour et al. [1] The barrier-structure has a 50% cutoff at 4.75 μm and 40% quantum efficiency and shows a dark current density of 6 × 10⁻⁶ A/cm² at −0.05 V bias and 120 K. This is one order of magnitude lower than for comparable T2SL-structures without the barrier. Further improvement of the (non-surface related) bulk dark current can be expected with optimized doping of the absorber and barrier, and by fine tuning of the barrier layer design. We discuss the effect of barrier doping on dark current based on simulations. A T2SL focal plane array with 320 × 256 pixels, 30 μm pitch and 90% fill factor was processed in house using a conventional homojunction p–i–n photodiode architecture and the ISC9705 readout circuit. High-quality imaging up to 110 K was demonstrated with the substrate fully removed.     

Demonstration of large format mid-wavelength infrared focal plane arrays based on superlattice and BIRD detector structures

We have demonstrated the use of bulk antimonide based materials and type-II antimonide based superlattices in the development of large area mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) focal plane arrays (FPAs). Barrier infrared photodetectors (BIRDs) and superlattice-based infrared photodetectors are expected to outperform traditional III–V MWIR and LWIR imaging technologies and are expected to offer significant advantages over II–VI material based FPAs. We have used molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technology to grow InAs/GaSb superlattice pin photodiodes and bulk InAsSb structures on GaSb substrates. The coupled quantum well superlattice device offers additional control in wavelength tuning via quantum well sizes and interface composition, while the BIRD structure allows for device fabrication without additional passivation. As a demonstration of the large area imaging capabilities of this technology, we have fabricated mid-wavelength 1024 × 1024 pixels superlattice imaging FPAs and 640 × 512 MWIR arrays based on the BIRD concept. These initial FPA have produced excellent infrared imagery.