Ultimate performance of quantum well infrared photodetectors in the tunneling regime

E. Lhuillier (1, 2) , I. Ribet-Mohamed (2) , M. Tauvy (2) , A. Nedelcu (3) , Vincent Berger (1) , E. Rosencher (4)

1 MPQ (UMR_7162) - Laboratoire Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques
2 ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab [Palaiseau]
3 III-V Lab - Alcatel-Thales III-V Lab
4 ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab [Châtillon]

Thanks to their wavelength diversity and to their excellent uniformity, Quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIP) emerge as potential candidates for astronomical or defense applications in the very long wavelength infrared (VLWIR) spectral domain. However, these applications deal with very low backgrounds and are very stringent on dark current requirements. In this paper, we present the full electro-optical characterization of a 15 μm QWIP, with emphasis on the dark current measurements. Data exhibit striking features, such as a plateau regime in the I(V) curves at low temperature (4–25 K). We show that present theories fail to describe this phenomenon and establish the need for a fully microscopic approach.

Mots clés: Electronic transport; Infrared photodetector; Quantum wells

Domaines: Matière Condensée [cond-mat]

E. Lhuillier, I. Ribet-Mohamed, M. Tauvy, A. Nedelcu, Vincent Berger, et al.. Ultimate performance of quantum well infrared photodetectors in the tunneling regime. Infrared Physics and Technology, 2009, 52 (4), pp.132 - 137. ⟨10.1016/j.infrared.2009.05.003⟩. ⟨hal-01438626⟩