Resonant Cavity Photodetectors using thin GaInAs/GaAsSb Quantum wells

该计划的目标是开发使用磷化铟材料的中红外光电探测器，用于需要高灵敏度和近室温操作的应用。这些材料提供了优势，包括使用压缩和拉伸应变材料进行灵活的器件设计选择，以及成熟的晶片铸造能力来处理基于InP的结构。这一计划具有变革性，因为它将中红外光电子设备与一个技术平台相结合，该技术平台在工业上已经得到了很好的开发，但目前还不允许使用这个波长范围。智能上的优点是使用谐振腔方法，将薄的应变量子井吸收区域与高反射率镜子结合在一起。实验表明，这些量子阱在室温下可以吸收3000 nm以上的光。通过一种新的应变补偿方法增加应变，将允许延长检测波长。谐振腔的使用使量子阱的光吸收长度和物理厚度去耦合，从而实现了更高的量子效率和更低的暗电流。该计划更广泛的影响是创造一种通过在军事和民用应用中使用而对社会产生积极影响的技术。此外，该计划侧重于研究/教育整合的两个主要类别：招募有才华的本科生从事研究，目的是鼓励他或她继续研究生学习，以及开发可用于教育工程专业一年级学生这项研究的社会效益的教材。

The objective of this program is to develop mid-infrared photodetectors using indium phosphide-based materials for applications where high sensitivity and near-room temperature operation are desired. These materials provides advantages including the use of compressive and tensile strained materials for flexible device design options and mature wafer foundry capabilities for processing InP-based structures. This program is transformative in that it couples mid-infrared optoelectronics to a technology platform that has been well developed in industry but does not currently allow use of this wavelength range. The intellectual merit is to use a resonant-cavity approach that combines a thin, strained quantum well absorption region with high-reflectivity mirrors. Experiments have shown that these quantum wells can absorb light beyond 3000 nm at room temperature. The addition of strain with a novel strain compensation approach will allow an extension of the detection wavelength. The use of a resonant cavity decouples the optical absorption length and physical thicknesses of the quantum wells leading to both higher quantum efficiency and lower dark currents. The broader impacts of this program are to create a technology that can have a positive influence on society through its use in both military and civilian applications. In addition, this program focuses on two main categories for research/education integration: recruiting a talented undergraduate to pursue research with the goal of encouraging him or her to pursue graduate studies and the development of educational materials which can be used to educate first-year engineering students on the societal benefits of this research.