Noise, Gain, and Responsivity in Low-Strain Quantum Dot Infrared Photodetectors With up to 80 Dot-in-a-Well Periods

Abstract

We present a systematic study of noise, gain, responsivity, and specific detectivity D* , in a series of low-strain dot-in-a-well (DWELL) quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs). The lattice-matched GaAs quantum wells and AlGaAs barriers in these devices prevent the accumulation of excessive strain and allow the growth of up to 80 DWELL periods. We show that the photoconductive gain in these QDIPs is inversely proportional to the number of periods, while the total quantum efficiency is proportional to the number of periods, meaning that the responsivity remains constant at a given mean electric field as the number of periods is varied. The dark current in each QDIP was also found to be constant at a given mean electric field.