Heterojunction D.sup.- (or A.sup.+) millimeter and submillimeter wave
USH95H · kind H · statutory invention registration
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | — |
| Grant date | Jul 1, 1986 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | — |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC —)General
Abstract
A solid state detector for use in detecting submillimeter and millimeter wave radiation. The solid state detector comprises a semiconductor superlattice of alternating thin epitaxial layers of GaAs and AlGaAs doped with impurities having the same conductivity type. Because of the transfer of charge carriers in order to obtain thermal equilibrium, the charge carriers in the higher energy doped layer transfer to the adjacent lower energy doped layer and form a predetermined number of either D.sup.- or A.sup.+ centers in this layer. This D.sup.- or A.sup.+ center formation is obtained without the use of an optical bias. The ionization energy for these D.sup.- or A.sup.+ centers is small enough that photons from millimeter or submillimeter wave radiation is sufficient to ionize these carriers and yield a measurable conductivity in the device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.