Advanced heterostructures for In1-xAlxSb and Hg1-xCdxTe detectors and emitters

Multilayer, epitaxial, heterostructure devices have been fabricated in In1-xAlxSb by molecular beam epitaxy and in Hg1-xCdxTe by metallo-organic vapor phase epitaxy. The principal motivation was to produce devices which will operate with little or no cooling. Results are presented for InSb and MCT diode detectors operating in both equilibrium and non-equilibrium modes at ambient and near ambient temperatures. An uncooled MCT detector has demonstrated near shot-noise limited detection of carbon- dioxide laser radiation in a heterodyne receiver. Uncooled, light-emitting diodes have demonstrated useful power outputs in both positive and negative luminescence at wavelengths out to 11 micrometers. A diode injection laser has been demonstrated in InSb giving an output at 5.1 micrometer and 90 K.