ANTIMONY-BASED TYPE-II SUPERLATTICE INFRARED DETECTORS BY

Numerous applications within the mid- and long-wavelength infrared are driving the search for efficient and cost effective detection technologies in this regime. Theoretical calculations have predicted high performance for InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice structures, which rely on mature growth of III-V semiconductors and offer many levels of freedom in design due to band structure engineering. This work focuses on the fabrication and characteri-zation of type-II superlattice infrared detectors. Standard UV-based photolithography was used combined with chemical wet or dry etching techniques in order to fabricate antinomy-based type-II superlattice infrared detectors. Subsequently, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and radiometric techniques were applied for optical characteri-zation in order to obtain a detector’s spectrum and response, as well as the overall detectivity in combination with electrical characterization. Temper-ature dependent electrical characterization was used to extract information about the limiting dark current processes. This work resulted in the first demonstration of an InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice infrared photodetector grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. A peak detectivity of 1.6×109 Jones at 78 K was achieved for this device with a 11 µm zero cutoff wavelength. Furthermore the interband tunneling detector designed for the mid-wavelength infrared regime was stud-ied. Similar results to those previously published were obtained. ii To my family ii