Μm Cutoff Wavelength Research Articles

Midinfrared type-II InAs∕GaSb superlattice photodiodes toward room temperature operation

We study midinfrared type-II InAs∕GaSb superlattice p-i-n photodiodes for high temperature operation. Representative samples exhibit a 3.9μm cutoff wavelength at 250K and detectivity of 4.9×1013, 1.0×1010, and 2.4×109cmHz1∕2∕W at 78, 240, and 300K, respectively. Longer-wavelength devices exhibit a 5.2μm cutoff wavelength at 240K, and detectivity of 1.3×1013 and 1.5×109cmHz1∕2∕W at 78 and 240K, respectively. The electron beam induced current technique is used to investigate the spatially varying carrier collection efficiency contribution to the quantum efficiency at different biases and temperatures. The residual doping in the i region is determined to be 6.0×1013cm−3 (n type) at 78K. The prospect of operating focal plane arrays based on the sample studied around 240K is quite promising.

Optimizing residual carriers in undoped InAs/GaSb superlattices for high operating temperature mid-infrared detectors

The mid-infrared 21 Å InAs/24 Å GaSb superlattices (SLs) designed for the 4 μm cutoff wavelength were grown by molecular beam epitaxy at growth temperatures between 370 and 430 °C in order to reduce residual background carriers. The lowest density of 1.8×10 11 cm −2 was obtained from the SLs grown at 400 °C. With increasing growth temperature, in-plane hole mobility decreased from 8740 to 1400 cm 2/V s due to increased interfacial roughness, while the photoluminescence (PL) intensity increased due to a decrease in the number of nonstoichiometric nonradiative defects. Further reduction of carrier density to 1×10 11 cm −2 was achieved by increasing barrier width. As GaSb layer width increases from 24 to 48 Å, the cutoff wavelength decreased from 4.1 to 3.4 μm, which is still in the mid-infrared detection window. More importantly, a dramatic improvement on the PL intensity and the full width at half maximum was achieved from the SL samples with the wider GaSb widths. All mid-infrared SL samples investigated in our studies were residually p-type.

Growth optimization for low residual carriers in undoped midinfrared InAs/GaSb superlattices

Reducing residual background carriers in InAs/GaSb superlattices (SLs) is an essential task to increase the operating temperature of photoconductive devices. This paper discusses how low-temperature Hall measurements were used to tune several SL growth parameters for the minimum residual carriers in a typical midinfrared 21 Å InAs/24 Å GaSb SLs designed for the 4 μm cutoff wavelength. Among the three growth parameters studied, neither growth temperature nor in situ postannealing significantly affected the intrinsic carrier type and doping concentration. The lowest carrier density of 1.8×1011 cm−2 was achieved at 400 °C. All SLs grown at 400 °C maintained the lowest density around 1.6×1011 cm−2 with or without postannealing. However, in-plane carrier mobility showed a slight improvement with annealing, especially at temperatures above 450 °C. The growth parameter most sensitive to the carrier density was interface control. With a minor variation in interface shutter sequence, the carrier density dramatically increased from ∼2×1011 to 5×1012 cm−2, and the corresponding mobility dropped from 6600 to 26 cm2/V s, indicating dramatic degradation of interfacial quality. All SLs investigated in this study were residually p-type.

The effect of doping the M-barrier in very long-wave type-II InAs∕GaSb heterodiodes

A variation on the standard homodiode type-II superlattice with an M-barrier between the π-region and the n-region is shown to suppress the dark currents. By determining the optimal doping level of the M-superlattice, dark current densities of 4.95mA∕cm2 and quantum efficiencies in excess of 20% have been demonstrated at the moderate reverse bias of 50mV; allowing for near background-limted performance with a Johnson-noise detectivity of 3.11×1010cmHz∕W at 77K for 14.58μm cutoff wavelength for large area diodes without passivation. This is comparable to values for the state-of-the-art HgCdTe photodiodes.

Lattice-matched AlInAs–InGaAs mid-wavelength infrared QWIPs: characteristics and focal plane array performance

The AlInAs/InGaAs material system is promising for mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) and multi-band quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) as a lattice-matched alternative to the strained AlGaAs/InGaAs system. In this paper, we report a large format (640 × 512) AlInAs/InGaAs QWIP focal plane array (FPA) with 4.9 µm cut-off wavelength and assess the performance of this material system for MWIR QWIP applications at both pixel and large format FPA level. We also 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 changing only the quantum well (QW) width at the lattice-matched composition. The cut-off wavelength is shifted from 4.15 to 4.9 µm when the QW width is decreased from 30 to 23 Å, in which case a very broad spectral response (Δλ/λp = 32%) with a reasonably high peak detectivity (5.5 × 1010 cm Hz1/2 W−1, f/1.5) is achievable. The AlInAs/InGaAs QWIP FPA yielded excellent sensitivity with a noise equivalent temperature difference as low as 22 mK and a background limited performance (BLIP) temperature as high as 115 K with f/1.5 aperture and 300 K background. The results clearly demonstrate the potential of this material system for completely lattice-matched dual- or multi-band QWIP FPAs for third-generation thermal imagers.

Erratum for ‘2.4 µm cutoff wavelength heterojunction phototransistor with strained InAs/InGaAs MQW absorption layer’

Erratum for ‘2.4 µm cutoff wavelength heterojunction phototransistor with strained InAs/InGaAs MQW absorption layer’

2.4 µm cutoff wavelength heterojunction phototransistor with strained InAs/InGaAs MQW absorption layer

A novel mid-infrared photodetector has been developed that consists of an InP/InGaAs heterojunction phototransistor with a strained InAs/InGaAs multi-quantum well (MQW) absorption layer inserted in the low electric field region of the collector. The thick strained InAs well enhances the quantum confined effect. This provides a high absorption coefficient at a wavelength of 2.3 µm. The photocurrent generated in the MQW absorption layer is amplified by the current gain, resulting in a high responsivity of more than 10 A/W. In addition, the small volume of the MQW in the low electric field region provides a low dark current.

Inkjet‐Printed Nanocrystal Photodetectors Operating up to 3 μm Wavelengths

Solution processable photodetectors operating up to 3 μm cut-off wavelength based on HgTe nanocrystals are demonstrated. Ink-jet printing is employed for the accurate deposition of the nanocrystals on the electrodes. The highly reproducible photodetectors exhibit high sensitivities for small illumination powers, making the devices ideal candidates for night vision applications.

Surface passivation of GaInAsSb photodiodes with thioacetamide

AbstractAlGaAsSb/GaInAsSb heterojunction mesa photodiodes having 2.2 µm cutoff wavelength, grown by MBE on (p) GaSb substrates, have been passivated using thioacetamide CH4CSNH2 and ammonium sulphide (NH4)2S. Superior characteristics were obtained from devices processed with thioacetamide in acid medium (pH = 2.4). At room temperature the surface leakage currents were suppressed, and the photodiodes showed R0A product as high as 16 Ωcm2 and detectivity D* (2 µm, 0 V) ∼ 1010 cm Hz1/2 W–1. A model explaining sulfuration mechanisms with thioacetamide and (NH4)2S is proposed. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Comparison of normal and inverted band structure HgTe/CdTe superlattices for very long wavelength infrared detectors

The type III band alignment of HgTe/CdTe superlattices leads to the interesting possibility of achieving very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) (15 µm and longer) cutoff wavelengths with either normal (HgTe layer thickness less than about 70 A for CdTe layer thickness of 50 A) or inverted (HgTe thickness greater than about 70 A) band structures. The inverted band structure superlattices promise even greater cutoff wavelength control than the normal band structure ones. However, the electronic band gaps of inverted band structure superlattices are substantially less than their optical band gaps, leading to large thermal carrier concentrations even at temperature as low as 40 K. These high carrier concentrations in turn give rise to more rapid Auger recombination than normal band structure superlattices with the same cutoff wavelengths. We conclude that the highest performance is expected from VLWIR HgTe/CdTe superlattice-based detectors with normal band structure absorber layers.

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of high quantum efficiency InAs/GaSb superlattice detectors

InAs/GaSb superlattices are leading candidates for next generation long-wave infrared and very-long-wave infrared photodetectors. These heterostructures are expected to hold important advantages over existing materials systems, primarily bulk HgCdTe alloys. To realize their inherent potential, however, superlattice materials with low defect density and improved device characteristics must be demonstrated. Here, we report on the molecular beam epitaxy growth and characterization of an 11 μm cutoff wavelength InAs/GaSb superlattice detector with a state-of-the-art single-pass, internal quantum efficiency of 36%. The shutter sequencing used to form the GaSb-on-InAs and InAs-on-GaSb superlattice heterojunctions is described in detail, and the latter specifically identified as a source of morphological defects in these devices.

High-performance long-wavelength HgCdTe infrared detectors grownon silicon substrates

Long-wavelength HgCdTe heterostructures on silicon (100) substrates have been grown using metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. Test diodes have been fabricated from this material using mesa technology and flip-chip bonding. We have demonstrated excellent resistance-area product characteristics for diodes with a 10.2μm cutoff wavelength. R0A values approaching 103Ωcm2 at 80K have been measured and the resistance-area product maintained above 102Ωcm2 at 1V reverse bias. Variable temperature R0A values correspond to expected generation-recombination loss mechanisms between 60 and 120K. Current-voltage characteristics of two diodes at opposite sides of an array indicate that a very uniform imaging long-wavelength infrared array could be fabricated from this material.

Ammonium sulfide passivation of Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice photodiodes

We report on the surface passivation of Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice photodetectors using various ammonium sulfide solutions. Compared to unpassivated detectors, zero-bias resistance of treated 400 μm×400 μm devices with 8 μm cutoff wavelength was improved by over an order of magnitude to ∼20 kΩ at 80 K. Reverse-bias dark current density was reduced by approximately two orders of magnitude to less than 10 mA/cm2 at −2 V. Dark current modeling, which takes into account trap-assisted tunneling, indicates greater than 70 times reduction in bulk trap density for passivated detectors.

Very-long wave ternary antimonide superlattice photodiode with 21 μm cutoff

We describe a ternary antimonide superlattice photodiode with a 21 μm cutoff wavelength. The active region consists of 150 periods of 10 monolayers (MLs) of In0.07Ga0.93Sb and 19 MLs of InAs with InSb-like interfacial bonds. The device has a detectivity of 3×109 cm√Hz/W, dynamic impedance-area product of 0.18 Ω cm2, and peak external quantum efficiency of 3% at 40 K. X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy show the structure to have a high degree of order with abrupt interfaces. A simulation of the absorption spectrum effectively reproduces the observed spectrum.

Space charge solution of Rittner photoconductor equation for a HgCdTe detector

The steady-state charge continuity equations are linearized to derive a space charge field that accompanies the ambipolar diffusion and drift described by the Rittner equation. The space charge field is evaluated for a typical 14.2 μm cutoff wavelength HgCdTe detector operating at 85 K. It is found that the space charge density is ∼10 −5 times the hole and electron population density generated by photon flux. This corroborates that Rittner's equation gives an accurate solution for the hole and electron densities. But, at relatively high photon flux levels that are found in some Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite instrument channels, the small average space charge field can have a noticable effect on the linearity of detector response. Divergence of electric field terms in the continuity equations, which are absent from the Rittner equation, can also contribute a non-linearity to detector response.

Status of the MBE technology at leti LIR for the manufacturing of HgCdTe focal plane arrays

This paper presents recent developments that have been made in Leti Infrared Laboratory in the field of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth and fabrication of medium wavelength and long wavelength infrared (MWIR and LWIR) HgCdTe devices. The techniques that lead to growth temperature and flux control are presented. Run to run composition reproducibility is investigated on runs of more than 15 consecutively grown layers. Etch pit density in the low 105 cm−2 and void density lower than 103 cm−2 are obtained routinely on CdZnTe substrates. The samples exhibit low n-type carrier concentration in the 1014 to 1015 cm−3 range and mobility in excess of 105 cm2/Vs at 77 K for epilayers with 9.5 µm cut-off wavelength. LWIR diodes, fabricated with an-on-p homojunction process present dynamic resistance area products which reach values of 8 103 Ωcm2 for a biased voltage of −50 mV and a cutoff wavelength of 9.5 µm at 77 K. A 320 × 240 plane array with a 30 µm pitch operating at 77 K in the MWIR range has been developed using HgCdTe and CdTe layers MBE grown on a Germanium substrate. Mean NEDT value of 8.8 mK together with an operability of 99.94% is obtained. We fabricated MWIR two-color detectors by the superposition of layers of HgCdTe with different compositions and a mixed MESA and planar technology. These detectors are spatially coherent and can be independently addressed. Current voltage curves of 60 × 60 µm2 photodiodes have breakdown voltage exceeding 800 mV for each diode. The cutoff wavelength at 77 K is 3.1 µm for the MWIR-1 and 5 µm for the MWIR-2.

Electrical properties of HgCdTe epilayers doped with silver using an AgNO3 solution

We employed AgNO3 solutions for doping Ag in liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) grown Hg0.78Cd0.22Te epilayers and found that the minority carrier lifetimes became longer so that the diode properties improved. After annealing LPE grown Hg(1-x)Cd(x)Te layers (x=0.22) in Hg atmosphere, the epilayers were immersed in an AgNO3 solution at room temperature. The typical carrier concentrations of holes was 3 × 1016 cm−3 at 77K. These values were almost the same as for the nondoped wafers. Also, its acceptor level was 3 to 4 meV. This shows that the Ag was activated. The doped crystals have lifetimes several times longer than those of the nondoped crystals. Numerical fitting showed the lifetime was limited mostly by the Auger 7 process. The Shockley-Read-Hall recombination process was not effective. To examine the Ag-doped wafer, we fabricated photodiodes using standard planar technology. The diodes have an average zero-bias resistance of several MΩ and a shunt resistance of about 1 GΩ for a 10 µm cutoff wavelength at 78K. These values are about four times higher than those of nondoped diodes. The photo current is also two times higher at the same pixel size. This shows that the quantum efficiency is increased. The extension of the lifetime contributes to the high resistance and the high quantum efficiency of the photodiode.

Demonstration of Si homojunction far-infrared detectors

A 48 μm cutoff wavelength (λc) Si far-infrared (FIR) detector is demonstrated. Internal photoemission over a Si interfacial work-function of a homojunction consisting of molecular beam epitaxy grown multilayers (p+ emitter layers and intrinsic layers) is employed. The detector shows high responsivity over a wide wavelength range with a peak responsivity of 12.3±0.1 A/W at 27.5 μm and detectivity D* of 6.6×1010 cmHz/W. The λc and bias dependent quantum efficiency agree well with theory. Based on the experimental results and the model, Si FIR detectors (40–200 μm) with high performance and tailorable λcs can be realized using higher emitter layer doping concentrations.

Heteroepitaxy of HgCdTe(112) infrared detector structures on Si(112) substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy

High-quality, single-crystal epitaxial films of CdTe(112)B and HgCdTe(112)B have been grown directly on Si(112) substrates without the need for GaAs interfacial layers. The CdTe and HgCdTe films have been characterized with optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction, wet chemical defect etching, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. HgCdTe/Si infrared detectors have also been fabricated and tested. The CdTe(112)B films are highly specular, twin-free, and have x-ray rocking curves as narrow as 72 arc-sec and near-surface etch pit density (EPD) of 2 × 106 cm−2 for 8 µm thick films. HgCdTe(112)B films deposited on Si substrates have x-ray rocking curve FWHM as low as 76 arc-sec and EPD of 3-22 × 106 cm−2. These MBE-grown epitaxial structures have been used to fabricate the first high-performance HgCdTe IR detectors grown directly on Si without use of an intermediate GaAs buffer layer. HgCdTe/Si infrared detectors have been fabricated with 40% quantum efficiency and R0A = 1.64 × 104 Ωm2 (0 FOV) for devices with 7.8 µm cutoff wavelength at 78Kto demonstrate the capability of MBE for growth of large-area HgCdTe arrays on Si.

Dark Current Reduction in Near Infrared P-I-N Detector Diodes Fabricated from In.75Ga.25As Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy on InP Substrates

ABSTRACTWe have investigated several approaches to improve the material quality of lattice-mismatched In.75Ga.25As grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on (100) InP substrates. They include linear grading of In composition from lattice matched In.53Ga.47As to In.75Ga.25As in a 1 μm buffer layer grown at reduced substrate temperature, in combination with various in situ annealing and material regrowth steps. The material was used for fabrication of mesa-structure p-i-n photodetectors with 2.2 μm cutoff wavelength. The room temperature dark current density at 1 V reverse bias was approximately 2 mA/cm2 in all structures that were subjected to anneal and regrowth process, a factor of three improvement over reference samples which were not subjected to annealing and regrowth. The dark current density at 15 V reverse bias (10 mA/cm2 for the best devices) was at least two orders of magnitude lower in all annealed samples than in reference samples. These results suggest that the MBE grown material can be an attractive alternative to the vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) grown material which is commonly used for fabrication of these detectors.