Coupling of Radiation into Quantum Well Infrared Detectors by the Use of Reflection Gratings and Waveguide Structures

Long wavelength infrared detectors based on intersubband transitions in AlGaAs/GaAs n-type doped quantum wells (QW) have been shown to exhibit high detectivities D*= 1·1010 - 5·1010 cm·Hz0.5·W-1 in the wavelength region 8 - 10 µm at 80 K, and are viable candidates for the fabrication of large linear and two-dimensional detector arrays1,2. Detectors with QWs of other material compositions like InAlAs/InGaAs and InGaAs/InP, have also been fabricated and show great promise. The QW infrared detector is basically of the photoconductive type, although detectors working in the photovoltaic mode have been demonstrated3,4.

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