GaAs Blocked-Impurity-Band Detectors for Far-Infrared Astronomy

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2004

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/840239· OSTI ID:840239

Cardozo, Benjamin Lewin ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); LBNL Library

High-purity and doped GaAs films have been grown by Liquid-phase epitaxy (LPE) for development of a blocked impurity band (BIB) detector for far-infrared radiation. The film growth process developed has resulted in the capability to grow GaAs with a net active impurity concentration below 1 x 10¹³ cm^-3, ideal for the blocking layer of the BIB detector. The growth of n-type LPE GaAs films with donor concentrations below the metal-insulator transition, as required for the absorbing layer of a BIB detector, has been achieved. The control of the donor concentration, however, was found to be insufficient for detector production. The growth by LPE of a high-purity film onto a commercially grown vapor-phase epitaxial (VPE) n-type GaAs doped absorbing layer resulted in a BIB device that showed a significant reduction in the low-temperature dark current compared to the absorbing layer only. Extended optical response was not detected, most likely due to the high compensation of the commercially grown GaAs absorbing layer, which restricts the depletion width of the device.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett field, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 840239
• Report Number(s): LBNL--57248
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ASTRONOMY
DEPLETION LAYER
EPITAXY
PRODUCTION