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Title: Effects of bias and temperature on the intersubband absorption in very long wavelength GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well infrared photodetectors

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4869535· OSTI ID:22271163
; ; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. National Laboratory for Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 500 Yu-Tian Road, Shanghai 200083 (China)
  2. Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080 (China)

The temperature- and bias-dependent photocurrent spectra of very long wavelength GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) are studied using spectroscopic measurements and corresponding theoretical calculations. It is found that the peak response wavelength will shift as the bias and temperature change. Aided by band structure calculations, we propose a model of the double excited states and explain the experimental observations very well. In addition, the working mechanisms of the quasi-bound state confined in the quantum well, including the processes of tunneling and thermionic emission, are also investigated in detail. We confirm that the first excited state, which belongs to the quasi-bound state, can be converted into a quasi-continuum state induced by bias and temperature. These obtained results provide a full understanding of the bound-to-quasi-bound state and the bound-to-quasi-continuum state transition, and thus allow for a better optimization of QWIPs performance.

OSTI ID:
22271163
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 115, Issue 12; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English