INFRARED-RADIATION DETECTOR DEVICE

摘要

Bethea-Choi-Levine-Malik-Walker 9-2-8-5-2 A narrow-bandwidth, high-speed infrared radiation detector is based on tunneling of photo-excited electrons out of quantum wells. Infrared radiation incident on a superlattice of doped quantum wells gives rise to intersubband resonance radiation which excites electrons from the ground state into an excited state. A photocurrent results from excited electrons tunneling out of quantum wells. Conveniently, Group III-V materials can be used in device manufacture. Preferably, quantum well potential barriers are shaped so as to facilitate resonant tunneling of photocurrent as compared with dark current. Preferred device operation is at elevated bias voltage, giving rise to enhancement of photocurrent by a quantum-well-avalanche effect.