多色量子阱红外探测器的发展(上)

Development of Multicolor Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors(Ⅰ)

军用红外探测器需要使用工作在各种红外波段的大规格、高均匀性多色焦平面阵列器件。满足这些要求的一个候选者就是量子阱红外(光电)探测器(Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector,QWIP)。作为新一代红外探测器,QWIP基于极薄半导体异质结构中的载流子束缚效应。GaAs/AlGaAs/QWIP的主要优点包括标准的Ⅲ-Ⅴ族衬底材料和技术、良好的热稳定性、大面积、低研发成本以及抗辐射性。QWIP的另一个重要优点是具有带隙工程能力。可以通过调节量子阱宽度和势垒组分设计出满足特殊要求(例如多色焦平面列阵应用)的器件结构。介绍了对QWIP探测物理机制的理解以及近年来多色QWIP技术的发展状况。

Military infrared detectors need large format, highly uniform and multicolor focal plane arrays operating in various infrared regions. A candidate which can meet this need is the Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors（QWIP）. As a new generation of infrared detectors, the QWIPs are based on the carrier confinement in ultrathin semiconductor heterostructures. The main advantages of GaAs/A1GaAs/QWIPs include standard III-V substrate material and technology, excellent thermal stability, uniformity, large area, low development cost and radiation hardness. Another important advantage of QWIPs is their band-gap engineering ability. By adjusting quantum well width and barrier composition, the device structure which meets the special requirements in multicolor focal plane array applications can be de- signed. The understanding of the physics of QWIP detection and the development status of multicolor QWIP technology in recent years are presented.