Development of Low Dark Current, High Quantum Efficiency 10 Micro Meters Arrays under the GOALI Program

摘要 该提案利用了罗切斯特大学红外天文学小组和罗克韦尔国际科学中心红外阵列探测器小组在天文学长波红外（LWIR）碲镉汞焦平面阵列开发方面的持续工作关系。 罗克韦尔已开发长波红外HgCdTe阵列根据国防部的合同，与大背景辐照度。 由于暗电流只需要比背景感应光电流小得多，这些DoD阵列不具有非常严格的暗电流要求，并且在高温（80 K）下操作。 罗克韦尔开发了新型掩埋平面异质结（BPH）HgCdTe器件。 利用该技术构建的低暗电流、高灵敏度的10 μ m波长阵列在低温（25 K-30 K）下具有很好的应用前景。 然而，还有各种各样的技术障碍需要克服。 在这些温度下，产生-复合（G-R）暗电流将主导扩散暗电流（在80 K下普遍），并且G-R电流随温度急剧下降。 然而，在较低的温度下，可以有隧道暗电流，此外，量子效率的下降。 这项努力将寻求生产不显示隧穿并且具有优异量子效率的器件。 预期HgCdTe在天文学和其他应用中具有广泛的适用性。

Abstract This proposal capitalizes on the on-going working relationship between the infrared astronomy group at the University of Rochester and the infrared array detector group at the Rockwell International Science Center in the development of long-wave infrared (LWIR) HgCdTe focal plane arrays for astronomy. Rockwell has developed LWIR HgCdTe arrays under DoD contracts that are operated with large background irradiance. Since the dark current need only be much less than the background induced photocurrent these DoD arrays do not have very stringent dark current requirements, and are operated at high temperatures (80K). Rockwell has developed new Buried Planar Heterojunction (BPH) HgCdTe devices. Low dark current, high sensitivity 10 micrometer wavelength arrays constructed by this technology are promising possibilities at low temperatures (25K - 30K). However, there are a variety of technical hurdles to overcome. At these temperatures generation-recombination (G- R) dark current will dominate diffusion dark current (prevalent at 80K), and G-R current drops precipitously with temperature. However, at the lower temperatures there can be tunneling dark current in addition, and a decline in quantum efficiency. This effort will seek to produce devices that do not exhibit tunneling and which have excellent quantum efficiency. HgCdTe is expected to have wide applicability to astronomy and other applications.