In-plane resonant-cavity infrared photodetectors with fully-depleted absorbers

US10297699B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force · US

Inventors

• Jerry R. Meyer · Catonsville, US
• Igor Vurgaftman · Pikesville, US
• Chadwick Lawrence Canedy · Washington, US
• William W. Bewley · Falls Church, US
• Chul Soo Kim · Springfield, US
• Charles D. Merritt · Fairfax, US
• Michael V. Warren · Arlington, US
• Mijin Kim · Suwon-si, KR

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 19, 2018
• Grant date: May 21, 2019
• Expiry date: Mar 19, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B2006/12138
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Resonant-cavity infrared photodetector (RCID) devices that include a thin absorber layer contained entirely within the resonant cavity. In some embodiments, the absorber is a single type-II InAs-GaSb interface situated between an AlSb/InAs superlattice n-type region and a p-type AlSb/GaSb region. In other embodiments, the absorber region comprises quantum wells formed on an upper surface of the n-type region. In other embodiments, the absorber region comprises a “W”-structured quantum well situated between two barrier layers, the “W”-structured quantum well comprising a hole quantum well sandwiched between two electron quantum wells. In other embodiments, the RCID includes a thin absorber region and an nBn or pBp active core within a resonant cavity. In some embodiments, the RCID is configured to absorb incident light propagating in the direction of the epitaxial growth of the RCID structure, while in other embodiments, it absorbs light propagating in the epitaxial plane of the structure.