Demonstration of long minority carrier lifetimes in very narrow bandgap ternary InAs/GaInSb superlattices

Minority carrier lifetimes in very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) InAs/GaInSb superlattices (SLs) are reported using time-resolved microwave reflectance measurements. A strain-balanced ternary SL absorber layer of 47.0 A InAs/21.5 A Ga0.75In0.25Sb, corresponding to a bandgap of ∼50 meV, is found to have a minority carrier lifetime of 140 ± 20 ns at ∼18 K. This lifetime is extraordinarily long, when compared to lifetime values previously reported for other VLWIR SL detector materials. This enhancement is attributed to the strain-engineered ternary design, which offers a variety of epitaxial advantages and ultimately leads to a reduction of defect-mediated recombination centers.

[1]  John F. Klem,et al.  Intensity- and temperature- dependent carrier recombination in InAs/In(As1-xSbx) type-II superlattices , 2014 .

[2]  Jerry R. Meyer,et al.  Recombination lifetime in InAs–Ga1−xInxSb superlattices , 1994 .

[3]  Gail J. Brown,et al.  Post growth annealing study on long wavelength infrared InAs/GaSb superlattices , 2012 .

[4]  Yajun Wei,et al.  Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattices and detectors with λc >18μm , 2002, SPIE OPTO.

[5]  Yajun Wei,et al.  Type-II superlattice photodiodes: an alternative for VLWIR detection , 2003, SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[6]  Hongen Shen,et al.  Direct minority carrier lifetime measurements and recombination mechanisms in long-wave infrared type II superlattices using time-resolved photoluminescence , 2010 .

[7]  H. Kroemer.  The 6.1 Å family (InAs, GaSb, AlSb) and its heterostructures: a selective review , 2004 .

[8]  Krishnamurthy Mahalingam,et al.  Optimum growth window for InAs/GaInSb superlattice materials tailored for very long wavelength infrared detection , 2014 .

[9]  Manijeh Razeghi,et al.  High performance photodiodes based on InAs/InAsSb type-II superlattices for very long wavelength infrared detection , 2014 .

[10]  Gail J. Brown,et al.  Control of anion incorporation in the molecular beam epitaxy of ternary antimonide superlattices for very long wavelength infrared detection , 2015 .

[11]  L. Grazulis,et al.  Growth optimization studies to develop InAs/GaInSb superlattice materials for very long wavelength infrared detection , 2015 .

[12]  Frank L. Madarasz,et al.  SUPERLATTICE PARAMETERS FOR OPTIMUM ABSORPTION IN INAS/INXGA1-XSB SUPERLATTICE INFRARED DETECTORS , 1995 .

[13]  J. S. Blakemore.  Chapter 5 – RADIATIVE AND RADIATIONLESS RECOMBINATION , 1962 .

[14]  Gregory Belenky,et al.  Minority carrier lifetime in type-2 InAs–GaSb strained-layer superlattices and bulk HgCdTe materials , 2010 .

[15]  Krishnamurthy Mahalingam,et al.  Impact of growth temperature on InAs/GaInSb strained layer superlattices for very long wavelength infrared detection , 2012 .

[16]  T. F. Boggess,et al.  Effects of growth rate variations on carrier lifetime and interface structure in InAs/GaSb superlattices , 2014 .

[17]  Darryl L. Smith,et al.  Proposal for strained type II superlattice infrared detectors , 1987 .

[18]  G. Belenky,et al.  Growth of type II strained layer superlattice, bulk InAs and GaSb materials for minority lifetime characterization , 2011 .

[19]  Michael E. Flatte,et al.  Modeling of very long infrared wavelength InAs/GaInSb strained layer superlattice detectors , 2002, SPIE Optics + Photonics.

[20]  John F. Klem,et al.  Effects of layer thickness and alloy composition on carrier lifetimes in mid-wave infrared InAs/InAsSb superlattices , 2014 .