Comparative Study on Planar Type-II Strained-Layer Superlattice Infrared Photodetectors Fabricated by Ion-Implantation

Abstract

Recent progress in Type-II strained layer superlattice (SLS) material systems has offered viable alternatives towards achieving large format, small-pitch, and low-cost focal plane arrays for different military and commercial applications. For focal plane array fabrication, in order to address difficulties associated with mesa-isolation etching or the complex surface treatment/ passivation process, planar structures have been considered. In this work, a comparative study on the recent progress on the planar SLS photodetector using ion-implantation for device isolation is presented. The devices presented here are nBn and pBn heterostructure InAs/InAsSb SLS photodetectors, where Zn and Si were chosen as the ion implants, respectively. The electrical and optical performance of the planar devices were compared to each other and with associated mesa-etched fabricated devices, to give a deeper view of the device performance.