MWIR/LWIR/VLWIR ICIPs-the utmost performance at room temperature.

Area of Science:

• Semiconductor Physics
• Optoelectronics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Interband cascade detectors are crucial for infrared sensing.
• Type-II superlattices (T2SL) offer tunable bandgaps for infrared applications.
• Optimizing detector parameters is key to enhancing performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the highest performance achieved for interband cascade detectors at VIGO Photonics.
• To investigate the impact of absorber doping, thickness, and stage count on detector performance.
• To explore detector characteristics across a range of 50% cut-off wavelengths (6.1–13.9 µm) at room temperature.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of InAs/InAsSb type-II superlattice (T2SL) detectors.
• Utilized heavily doped p+/n+ tunneling junctions for cell interconnection.
• Employed GaAs immersion lens technology for LWIR/VLWIR optimized devices.

Main Results:

• Achieved peak detectivity (D*peak) ranging from 7.46 × 10^7 Jones (λ_cut-off(50%) ~13.9 µm) to 1.2 × 10^9 Jones (λ_cut-off(50%) ~10.1 µm).
• Demonstrated performance dependence on absorber doping, thickness, and number of stages.
• Operated devices successfully at room temperature (293 K).

Conclusions:

• The study presents state-of-the-art performance for interband cascade detectors.
• InAs/InAsSb T2SL detectors are highly promising for long-wave infrared applications.
• Further optimization of device parameters can lead to even higher performance.