Far infrared and terahertz quantum well intra-subband photodetector (QWISP)

We describe a new device concept for far infrared (FIR) / terahertz (THz) radiation detection based on the use of dopant-assisted intra-subband absorption mechanism in quantum wells. We compare the Quantum Well Intra-Subband Photodetector (QWISP) to the FIR/THz quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP) and heterojunction internal photoemission (HIP) devices to clarify the device concept. We demonstrate QWISP's effectiveness through theoretical simulations by comparing it with the FIR/THz QWIP with comparable dark current levels and peak spectral positions. In particular, our modeling results show that in a device designed for ~110 μm peak response, the QWISP peak absorption coefficient and responsivity, respectively, are approximately 100 and 10 times strong than those for the FIR/THz QWIP. The QWISP is a compact device with normal incidence response, does not require very low barriers, and is compatible with existing GaAs focal-plane array technology.

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