Improved performance of IR photodetectors with 3D gap engineering

The ultimate signal-to-noise performance of the semiconductor photodetector is limited by the statistical fluctuations of the thermal generation and recombination rates in photodetector material. Cooling is an effective but impractical way of suppression of the thermal processes. The performance of uncooled detectors can be improved by minimizing the thermal generation and recombination rates and reducing the actual volume of photodetector. This can be realized in 3D heterostructure devices. In these devices, the incident radiation is absorbed in small regions of narrow gap semiconductor, buried in wide gap volume and supplied with wide gap electric contacts and radiation concentrators. The practical near room-temperature 1 - 12 μm IR heterostructure photodetectors are reported. The devices are based on variable gap Hg_1-xCd_xTe. The 3D heterostructures have been obtained by Isothermal Vapor Growth Epitaxy in a reusable growth system which enables in situ doping during growth with foreign impurities. Ion milling was extensively used in preparation of the devices. Monolithic optical immersion has been applied for further improvement of performance. The 3D heterostructure devices exhibit performance exceeding that of conventional photodetectors.