High performance type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice photodiodes

We report on the demonstration of high performance p-i-n photodiodes based on type-II InAs/GaSb superlattices operating in the very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) range at 80 K. Material is grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb substrates with excellent crystal quality as evidenced by x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The processed devices with a 50% cutoff wavelength of λ_c=22 μm show a peak current responsivity about 5.5 A/W at 80 K. The use of binary layers in the superlattice has significantly enhanced the uniformity and reproducibility of the energy gap. The 90% to 10% cut-off energy width of these devices is on the order of 2kT which is about four times smaller compared to the devices based on InAs/Ga_1-xIn_xSb superlattices. Similar photovoltaic devices with cut-off wavelengths up to 25 μm have been measured at 80 K. Our experimental results shows excellent uniformity over a three inch wafer area, indicating the possibility of VLWIR focal plane arrays based on type-II superlattices.