The paper compares the achievements of quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) technology with those of competitive technologies, with the emphasis on the material properties, device structure, and their impact on focal plane array (FPA) performance. Special attention is paid to two competitive technologies, QWIP and HgCdTe, in the long-wavelength IR (LWIR) and very-long-wavelength IR (VLWIR) spectral ranges. Because so far, the dialogue between the QWIP and HgCdTe communities is limited, the paper attempts to settle the main issues of both technologies. Such an approach, however, requires the presentation of fundamental limits to the different types of detectors, which is made at the beginning. To write the paper more clearly for readers, many details are included in the Appendix. In comparative studies both photon and thermal detectors are considered. Emphasis is placed on photon detectors. In this group one may distinguish HgCdTe photodiodes, InSb photodiodes, and doped silicon detectors. The potential performance of different materials as infrared detectors is examined utilizing the α/G ratio, where α is the absorption coefficient and G is the thermal generation rate. It is demonstrated that LWIR QWIP’s cannot compete with HgCdTe photodiodes as single devices, especially at higher operating temperatures (>70 K). This is due to the fundamental limitations associated with intersubband transitions. The advantage of HgCdTe is, however, less distinct at temperatures lower than 50 K due to problems inherent in the HgCdTe material (p-type doping, Shockley–Read recombination, trap-assisted tunneling, surface and interface instabilities). Even though QWIP is a photoconductor, several of its properties, such as high impedance, fast response time, long integration time, and low power consumption, comply well with the requirements imposed on the fabrication of large FPA’s. Due to a high material quality at low temperatures, QWIP has potential advantages over HgCdTe in the area of VLWIR FPA applications in terms of array size, uniformity, yield, and cost of the systems. The performance figures of merit of state-of-the-art QWIP and HgCdTe FPA’s are similar because the main limitations come from the readout circuits. Performance is, however, achieved with very different integration times. The choice of the best technology is therefore driven by the specific needs of a system. In the case of readout-limited detectors a low photoconductive gain increases the signal-to-noise ratio and a QWIP FPA can have a better noise equivalent difference temperature than an HgCdTe FPA with a charge well of similar size. Both HgCdTe photodiodes and QWIP’s offer multicolor capability in the MWIR and LWIR range. Powerful possibilities offered by QWIP technology are associated with VLWIR FPA applications and with multicolor detection. The intrinsic advantage of QWIP’s in this niche is due to the relative ease of growing multicolor structures with a very low defect density.

Quantum well photoconductors in infrared detector technology

The use of self-assembled InAs-GaAs quantum dots in photoconductive intersubband detectors in the far-infrared is presented. Far-infrared absorption is observed in self-assembled quantum dots in the 6-18-/spl mu/m range for subband-subband and subband-continuum transitions. Photoconductive quantum-dot intersubband detectors were fabricated and demonstrate tunable operating wavelengths between 6-18 /spl mu/m using subband-subband or subband-continuum transitions. The use of AlAs barriers allows further tuning to shorter wavelengths of 3-7 /spl mu/m. Subband-continuum quantum dot intersubband detectors show encouraging normal incidence performance characteristics at T=40 K, with responsivities of 10-100 mA/W, detectivities of 1-10 /spl times/10/sup 9/ cm/spl middot/Hz/sup 1/2//W and large photoconductive gain up to g=12 for a ten-layer quantum-dot heterostructure. With improvements in device structure, self-assembled quantum dots can be expected to provide intrinsic normal incidence broad-band detectors with advantages over quantum wells.

Self-assembled InAs-GaAs quantum-dot intersubband detectors

An efficient and versatile many-body nonequilibrium approach is formulated for computation of photocurrent and photoexcited properties of device structures where quantum effects dominate. This method, based on nonequilibrium Green’s function quantum transport equations, makes it possible to consider open systems of arbitrary dimensionality having complex potentials, complex geometries, and multiple terminals. In contrast to other approximate computational approaches, no a priori assumptions regarding the particular nature of the phototransitions are required (i.e., bound-to-bound, bound-to-continuum, or continuum-to-continuum). Furthermore, if desired, electron–phonon and electron–electron interactions can also be rigorously accounted for within the same formalism. In this article, the method is applied to two typical resonant-tunneling infrared detector heterostructures as examples: (1) a single-quantum-well structure, and (2) a multiperiod superlattice structure.

Nonequilibrium photocurrent modeling in resonant tunneling photodetectors

A detailed theory of nonisothermal electron transport perpendicular to multilayer superlattice structures is presented. The current–voltage (I–V) characteristics and the cooling power density are calculated using Fermi–Dirac statistics, density-of-states for a finite quantum well and the quantum mechanical reflection coefficient. The resulting equations are valid in a wide range of temperatures and electric fields. It is shown that conservation of lateral momentum plays an important role in the device characteristics. If the lateral momentum of the hot electrons is conserved in the thermionic emission process, only carriers with sufficiently large kinetic energy perpendicular to the barrier can pass over it and cool the emitter junction. However, if there is no conservation of lateral momentum, the number of electrons participating in a thermionic emission will increase. This has a significant effect on the I–V measurements as well as the cooling characteristics. Theoretical calculations are compared with...

Electronic and thermoelectric transport in semiconductor and metallic superlattices

We have designed and fabricated an optimized long-wavelength/very-long wavelength two-color quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) device structure. The device structure was grown on a 3-in semi-insulating GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The wafer was processed into several 640/spl times/486 format monolithically integrated 8-9 and 14-15 /spl mu/m two-color (or dual wavelength) QWIP focal plane arrays (FPAs). These FPAs were then hybridized to 640/spl times/486 silicon CMOS readout multiplexers. A thinned (i.e., substrate removed) FPA hybrid was integrated into a liquid helium cooled dewar for electrical and optical characterization and to demonstrate simultaneous two-color imagery. The 8-9 /spl mu/m detectors in the FPA have shown background limited performance (BLIP) at 70 K operating temperature for 300 K background with f/2 cold stop. The 14-15 /spl mu/m detectors of the FPA reaches BLIP at 40 K operating temperature under the same background conditions. In this paper we discuss the performance of this long-wavelength dualband QWIP FPA in terms of quantum efficiency, detectivity, noise equivalent temperature difference (NE/spl Delta/T), uniformity, and operability.

640/spl times/486 long-wavelength two-color GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) focal plane array camera

We demonstrate that a random scattering reflector on top of a quantum well infrared photodetector increases the optical coupling (i.e., increases the infrared absorption, responsivity, and detectivity) by an order of magnitude compared with a one‐dimensional grating or 45° angle of incidence geometry.

Improved performance of quantum well infrared photodetectors using random scattering optical coupling

We demonstrate a long wavelength (lambda(sub c)=20 microns) quantum well infrared photodetector using nonlattice matched In(x),Ga(l-x)As/GaAs materials system. High optical gains (low capture probabilities) were achieved by using GaAs as a barrier material in this system. A detectivity of D*=9.7 x 10(exp 10) cm square root of Hz/W at T= 10 K has been achieved.

Very long wavelength InxGa1−xAs/GaAs quantum well infrared photodetectors

We have performed a detailed study of two-dimensional grating coupling for quantum well infrared photodetectors in the very long wavelength spectral region λ∼16-17 μm. Using calculations based on the modal expansion method we quantitatively explain the double peaked responsivity spectrum. By optimizing the grating parameters we achieve a normal incidence responsivity and detectivity which are three times larger than the 45° angle of incidence geometry.

Optimization of two dimensional gratings for very long wavelength quantum well infrared photodetectors

We have performed an extensive series of measurements on symmetrical barrier bound‐to‐continuum and asymmetrical barrier bound‐to‐bound quantum well infrared photodetectors consisting of only a single well. We find that the behavior of the optical (e.g., responsivity) and transport properties (e.g., gain) as a function of bias is strikingly different from that of the usual multi‐quantum well detectors. The simplicity of the structure has allowed an accurate theoretical calculation of the potential drops across each barrier, the photoinduced carrier depletion in the quantum well and therefore a detailed understanding of the device physics.

Optical and transport properties of single quantum well infrared photodetectors

An extensive series of measurements and theoretical analysis are presented on an undoped single‐quantum‐well infrared photodetector. The well is filled by electron tunneling through the thin emitter barrier resulting in several novel characteristics compared with the usual directly well‐doped detectors. These include a unity optical gain and a dramatic drop in the well carrier density (and responsivity) at high bias when the bound state in the well drops below the emitter conduction‐band edge.

K. M. S. V. Bandara

Papers

Improved performance of quantum well infrared photodetectors using random scattering optical coupling

Very long wavelength InxGa1−xAs/GaAs quantum well infrared photodetectors

Optimization of two dimensional gratings for very long wavelength quantum well infrared photodetectors

Optical and transport properties of single quantum well infrared photodetectors

Tunneling emitter undoped quantum‐well infrared photodetector