Search

The InAs/InSb/GaSb/AlSb family of III-V alloys and superlattice materials offer unique possibilities for band structure engineering, because they can be grown on GaSb or InSb substrates with high quality and satisfactory control of strain, doping and composition. The band profiles and oscillator strengths are also quite predictable, enabling full simulation of detector performance from a basic knowledge of layer and stack thicknesses. In conventional III-V p-n devices, Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) traps generate a significant flow of thermal carriers in the device depletion region. At SCD, we have overcome this problem by developing XBn and XBp barrier device architectures that suppress these depletion currents, leading to higher operating temperatures or lower dark currents. Our first barrier detector product was launched in 2013 and operates at 150K. It uses a mid-wave infrared (MWIR) XBn device with an InAsSb absorber well matched to the most transparent of the atmospheric windows, at wavelengths between 3 and 4.2μm. However to span the full MWIR and to sense the long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectrum, we have investigated InAs/GaSb type II superlattices (T2SLs), because they offer full tunability. In this work we show that minority carriers in n-type T2SLs are localized and diffuse by variable range hopping, even when the period is short and the valence miniband has a width of 30-40 meV. Unfortunately, this leads to sub-micron diffusion lengths and a low quantum efficiency (QE) of ~20% in a full MWIR XBn device. On the other hand, p-type layers exhibit “metallic” minority carrier transport with much longer diffusion lengths, typically ~7 μm in our LWIR device layers. The successful development of p-type devices has led to our second barrier detector product, which uses an XBp LWIR T2SL and operates at 77K with a cut-off wavelength of 9.5 μm, a focal plane array (FPA) QE of ~50% and background limited performance up to ~90K at F/3. Moreover, the FPA operability is typically above 99.5%, based on stringent production-line criteria. Together with high spatial uniformity and good temporal stability, these barrier detectors are already a realistic alternative to MCT photodiode arrays, and further products operating at other wavelengths will be launched in due course.

In recent years, a worldwide growing demand for Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) imaging has increased dramatically. The requirement for such imagers span military, space and commercial applications. The ideal SWIR detector realizes low power, small size, and low noise, capable of imaging under a wide range of illuminations from daylight to starlight, with on-die advanced imaging capabilities, such as high dynamic range (HDR) and active imaging. In this paper we present a new 640x512/15μm InGaAs focal plane array (FPA) specifically developed for low noise (LN) applications. The detector temperature is stabilized by a thermoelectrical cooler (TEC) typically at 20 C demonstrating extremely low dark current with excellent imaging under low light level (LLL) conditions. The detector's read out noise was measured to be lower than 15e- with correlated double sampling. We demonstrate the ROICs active imaging applications at sub μs gates and elaborate on the overall electro-optical performance.

Sparrow, a low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP), high-end thermal imaging video core is presented, based on XBn- InAsSb Focal Plane Array (FPA) with 640×512 format and 10μm pitch, which is operated at 150K. The Sparrow video core offloads a range of functions from the host system, such as detector power supply, clocking and image processing, resulting in a very compact and low power module equipped with a miniature Split-Linear Stirling cooler. The Sparrow Module is optimized for a wide range of low SWaP applications, with a volume of 58×62×42 mm3, a weight of 300g, and typical power consumption of 5W at room temperature. It provides sub-frame video latency and supports a variety of output video formats and user-configurable advanced image processing algorithms.

This article describes new imaging capabilities and technologies developed for infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) at SCD. One of the new technologies is the patterning of the back surface of the FPA, whose front surface is bonded to a silicon readout integrated circuit (ROIC). Another is the hybridization of a spectral filter to the same back surface. Increased image resolution has been achieved by using an opaque mask on the backside of the FPA with small central apertures. The reduced fill factor of the sensor leads to lower crosstalk between neighboring pixels and a higher Nyquist frequency. A highly detailed multi-mega pixel image is obtained when the sensor is micro-scanned relative to the imaging optics. Spectral filtering was achieved by hybridization of a designated filter to the backside of the FPA. The filter was glued to the FPA with high accuracy achieving single pixel resolution. System implementation of these SWIR sensor cameras has been demonstrated at imec and is reported in this paper. First results are reported for a continuously varying monolithic filter deposited onto the FPA, which has a high spectral dispersion. We report electro-optical measurements on several different sensors and describe some of their key parameters.

There has been a growing demand over the past few years for infrared detectors with a smaller pixel dimension. On the one hand, this trend of pixel shrinkage enables the overall size of a given Focal Plan Array (FPA) to be reduced, allowing the production of more compact, lower power, and lower cost electro-optical (EO) systems. On the other hand, it enables a higher image resolution for a given FPA area, which is especially suitable in infrared systems with a large format that are used with a wide Field of View (FOV). In response to these market trends SCD has developed the Blackbird family of 10 μm pitch MWIR digital infrared detectors. The Blackbird family is based on three different Read- Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC) formats: 1920×1536, 1280×1024 and 640×512, which exploit advanced and mature 0.18 μm CMOS technology and exhibit high functionality with relatively low power consumption. Two types of 10 μm pixel sensing arrays are supported. The first is an InSb photodiode array based on SCD's mature planar implanted p-n junction technology, which covers the full MWIR band, and is designed to operate at 77K. The second type of sensing array covers the blue part of the MWIR band and uses the patented XBn-InAsSb barrier detector technology that provides electro-optical performance equivalent to planar InSb but at operating temperatures as high as 150 K. The XBn detector is therefore ideal for low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) applications. Both sensing arrays, InSb and XBn, are Flip-chip bonded to the ROICs and assembled into custom designed Dewars that can withstand harsh environmental conditions while minimizing the detector heat load. A dedicated proximity electronics board provides power supplies and timing to the ROIC and enables communication and video output to the system. Together with a wide range of cryogenic coolers, a high flexibility of housing designs and various modes of operation, the Blackbird family of detectors presents solutions for EO systems which cover both the very high-end and the low SWaP types of application. In this work we present in detail the EO performance of the Blackbird detector family.

For the highest end mid-wave-infrared applications, SCD, France offers a family of cryogenically cooled detectors with background limited performance (BLIP). The matured InSb planar technology is implemented in a variety of focal plane arrays, from a 320 x 256 format with a 30 µm pitch to a 1280 x 1024 format with a 15 µm pitch, all of which are operated at 77K. A major challenge is to reduce the cooling requirements. Then substantial reductions in size, weight, and power (SWaP) can be achieved by using a smaller cooler and Dewar assembly. SCD’s new epi-InSb detectors, grown by molecular beam epitaxy, have a BLIP temperature of ~100 K at F/3. This enhanced operating temperature reduces the required cooling power by ~20 % compared with the conventional 77 K operation. For a very high operating temperature, we have developed the new XBn-InAsSb detector with a 4.2 µm cut-off wavelength. This detector exhibits a BLIP temperature of ~160K at F/3 and a reduction in cooling power of ~60 %. These HOT detectors enable an improved range of solutions, including faster cool-down time and mission readiness, longer mission times, and higher cooler reliability. We can also exploit their reduced dark current to obtain an enhanced signal to noise ratio at lower operating temperatures. The well-established 25 µm pitch family of uncooled µ-Bolometer detectors has two basic formats, 384 x 288 and 640 x 480, and several sensitivity grades. The very high sensitivity 25 µm pitch detector has been demonstrated at F/2.4 for mid-range systems. The wide-band detector is optimized for both the long-wave-infrared and mid-waveinfrared spectral bands. Recently we developed the new 17 µm pitch family of detectors. The 640 x 480 format is a leading candidate for applications such as thermal weapon sights, driver vision enhancers and other mid-range IR systems. The 17 µm family is currently being expanded with the high sensitivity grade and with the addition of two new formats: the compact 384 x 288 for low SWaP applications, and the large 1024 x 768 format for applications requiring high resolution and a wide field of view.

InSb is a III–V binary semiconductor material with a bandgap wavelength of 5.4 μm at 77 K, well matched to the 3–5 μm MWIR atmospheric transmission window. When configured as a Focal Plane Array (FPA) detector, InSb photodiodes offer a large quantum efficiency, combined with excellent uniformity and high pixel operability. As such, InSb arrays exhibit good scalability and are an excellent choice for large format FPAs at a reasonable cost. The dark current is caused by Generation–Recombination (G–R) centres in the diode depletion region, and this leads to a typical operating temperature of ∼80 K in detectors with a planar implanted p–n junction. Over the last 15 years SCD has developed and manufactured a number of different 2-dimensional planar FPA formats, with pitches in the range of 15–30 μm. In recent years a new epi-InSb technology has been developed at SCD, in which the G–R contribution to the dark current is reduced. This enables InSb detector operation at 95–100 K, with equivalent performance to standard InSb at 80 K. In addition, using a new patented XBnn device architecture in which the G–R current is totally suppressed, epitaxial InAsSb detectors have been developed with a bandgap wavelength of 4.2 μm, which can operate in the 150–170 K range. In this short review of the past two decades, a number of key achievements in SCD’s InSb based detector development program are described. These include High Operating Temperature (HOT) epi-InSb FPAs, large format megapixel FPAs with high functionality using a digital Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC), and ultra low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) FPAs based on the HOT XBnn architecture.

Shrinking the pixel size in advanced infrared Focal Plane Array (FPA) detectors allows either a reduction in the system size for the same number of pixels, or an increase in the pixel count for the same focal plane area. Smaller pitch and increased pixel count enables new applications such as long range surveillance, advanced Search and Track, missile warning, persistent surveillance, and infrared spectroscopy. In the last two decades SCD has followed this path of reducing the pixel size in InSb detectors for Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) applications, developing and manufacturing FPAs from 30μm down to 10μm pitch. The Blackbird InSb detector with 1920×1536/10μm format was introduced in 2013. Modern electro-optical systems are also designed towards a more compact, low power, and lower cost solution compared with traditional systems. In order to meet these requirements, detectors are being developed to work at Higher Operating Temperatures (HOT). In the last few years SCD has introduced 15μm pitch MWIR detectors based on the novel XBn-InAsSb technology, which enables outstanding electro-optical performance at temperatures as high as 150K. Two XBn FPA formats were developed and are now in production: 640×512/15μm and 1280×1024/15μm. Following the above trends, SCD is currently developing a 10μm XBn pixel, designed to operate at 150K with performance similar to the mature 15μm pixel. In this paper we present results from XBn FPA test devices, where the XBn array is flip-chip bonded to a Readout Integrated Circuit (ROIC) with a 10μm pitch. Test measurements in a laboratory Dewar at 150K demonstrate dark currents of 250fA, quantum efficiency greater than 70%, pixel operability of higher than 99.5%, and excellent array uniformity.

SCD has developed a range of advanced infrared detectors based on III-V semiconductor heterostructures grown on GaSb. The XBn/XBp family of barrier detectors enables diffusion limited dark currents, comparable with MCT Rule-07, and high quantum efficiencies. This work describes some of the technical challenges that were overcome, and the ultimate performance that was finally achieved, for SCD’s new 15 μm pitch “Pelican-D LW” type II superlattice (T2SL) XBp array detector. This detector is the first of SCD's line of high performance two dimensional arrays working in the LWIR spectral range, and was designed with a ~9.3 micron cut-off wavelength and a format of 640 x 512 pixels. It contains InAs/GaSb and InAs/AlSb T2SLs, engineered using k • p modeling of the energy bands and photo-response. The wafers are grown by molecular beam epitaxy and are fabricated into Focal Plane Array (FPA) detectors using standard FPA processes, including wet and dry etching, indium bump hybridization, under-fill, and back-side polishing. The FPA has a quantum efficiency of nearly 50%, and operates at 77 K and F/2.7 with background limited performance. The pixel operability of the FPA is above 99% and it exhibits a stable residual non uniformity (RNU) of better than 0.04% of the dynamic range. The FPA uses a new digital read-out integrated circuit (ROIC), and the complete detector closely follows the interfaces of SCD’s MWIR Pelican-D detector. The Pelican- D LW detector is now in the final stages of qualification and transfer to production, with first prototypes already integrated into new electro-optical systems.

XBnn mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detector arrays aimed at high operating temperature (HOT) applications, also known as barrier detectors or “bariodes”, are based on device elements with an InAsSb/AlSbAs heterostructure. There is no depletion layer in the narrow bandgap active layer of such devices, suppressing the usual Generation-Recombination (G-R) and Trap Assisted Tunneling (TAT) mechanisms for dark current that exist in standard narrow bandgap diodes. This yields lower dark currents in bariodes than in diodes with the same bandgap wavelength. InAsSb-bariode detectors, grown on lattice matched GaSb substrates have been shown previously to exhibit low dark current densities of ∼10-7 A/cm2 at 150 K. In this communication we show crystallographic and electro-optical characteristics of bariode structures grown on GaAs. Although the 7.8% mismatch causes a high density of dislocations, the devices still demonstrate electr-optical performance comparable with equivalent structures grown on GaSb, both for test devices and for focal plane array detectors (FPAs) with a 640×512 pixel format and a 15 μm pitch. This is in contrast to the behavior reported for InAsSb pin photodiodes grown on lattice mismatched substrates. The large leakage currents seen in the latter and attributed to a TAT mechanism, do not occur in the InAsSb-based bariodes grown on GaAs.

When incorporated into the active layer of a "XBp" detector structure, Type II InAs/GaSb superlattices (T2SLs) offer a high quantum efficiency (QE) and a low diffusion limited dark current, close to MCT Rule 07. Using a simulation tool that was developed to predict the QE as a function of the T2SL period dimensions and active layer stack thickness, we have designed and fabricated a new focal plane array (FPA) T2SL XBp detector. The detector goes by the name of "Pelican-D LW", and has a format of 640 ×512 pixels with a pitch of 15 μm. The FPA has a QE of 50% (one pass), a cut-off of ~9.5 μm, and operates at 77K with a high operability, background limited performance and good stability. It uses a new digital read-out integrated circuit, and the integrated detector cooler assembly (IDCA) closely follows the configuration of SCD’s Pelican-D MWIR detector.

The XBn/XBp family of barrier detectors enables diffusion limited dark currents comparable with HgxCd1-xTe Rule-07 and high quantum efficiencies. SCD’s XBp type II superlattice (T2SL) detector contains InAs/GaSb and InAs/AlSb T2SLs, and was designed for the long wave infrared (LWIR) atmospheric window using k · p based modeling of the energy bands and photo-response. Wafers are grown by molecular beam epitaxy and are fabricated into focal plane array (FPA) detectors using standard FPA processes, including wet and dry etching, indium bump hybridisation, under-fill, and back-side polishing. The 640 × 512 pixel, 15 μm pitch, detector goes by the name of ‘Pelican-D LW’ and exhibits a quantum efficiency of ~ 50 per cent with background limited performance at an operating temperature of 77 K. It has a cut-off wave length of ~ 9.5 μm, with a pixel operability of above 99 per cent. The detector gives a very stable image with a residual non uniformity of below 0.04 per cent over its useful dynamic range. A new digital read-out integrated circuit has been designed so that the complete detector closely follows the configuration of SCD’s MWIR Pelican-D detector.

Electro-optical missile seekers pose exceptional requirements for infrared (IR) detectors. These requirements include: very short mission readiness (time-to-image), one-time and relatively short mission duration, extreme ambient conditions, high sensitivity, fast frame rate, and in some cases small size and cost. SCD is engaged in the development and production of IR detectors for missile seeker applications for many years. 0D, 1D and 2D InSb focal plane arrays (FPAs) are packaged in specially designed fast cool-down Dewars and integrated with Joule-Thomson (JT) coolers. These cooled MWIR detectors were integrated in numerous seekers of various missile types, for short and long range applications, and are combat proven. New technologies for the MWIR, such as epi-InSb and XBn-InAsSb, enable faster cool-down time and higher sensitivity for the next generation seekers. The uncooled micro-bolometer technology for IR detectors has advanced significantly over the last decade, and high resolution - high sensitivity FPAs are now available for different applications. Their much smaller size and cost with regard to the cooled detectors makes these uncooled LWIR detectors natural candidates for short and mid-range missile seekers. In this work we will present SCD's cooled and uncooled solutions for advanced electro-optical missile seekers.

InAs/GaSb Type II superlattices (T2SLs) are a promising III-V alternative to HgCdTe (MCT) for infrared Focal Plane Array (FPA) detectors. Over the past few years SCD has developed the modeling, growth, processing and characterization of high performance InAs/GaSb T2SL detector structures suitable for FPA fabrication. Our LWIR structures are based on an XBpp design, analogous to the XBnn design that lead to the recent launch of SCD’s InAsSb HOT MWIR detector (TOP= 150 K). The T2SL XBpp structures have a cut-off wavelength between 9.0 and 10.0 μm and are diffusion limited with a dark current at 78K that is within one order of magnitude of the MCT Rule 07 value. We demonstrate 30 μm pitch 5 × 5 test arrays with 100% operability and with a dark current activation energy that closely matches the bandgap energy measured by photoluminescence at 10 K. From the dependence of the dark current and photocurrent on mesa size we are able to determine the lateral diffusion length and quantum efficiency (QE). The QE agrees very well with the value predicted by our recently developed k · p model [Livneh et al, Phys. Rev. B86, 235311 (2012)]. The model includes a number of innovations that provide a faithful match between measured and predicted InAs/GaSb T2SL bandgaps from MWIR to LWIR, and which also allow us to treat other potential candidate systems such as the gallium free InAs/InAsSb T2SL. We will present a critical comparison of InAs/InAsSb vs. InAs/GaSb T2SLs for LWIR FPA applications.

Over the past few years, a new type of High Operating Temperature (HOT) photon detector has been developed at SCD, which operates in the blue part of the MWIR atmospheric window (3.4 - 4.2 μm). This window is generally more transparent than the red part of the MWIR window (4.4 - 4.9 μm), and thus is especially useful for mid and long range applications. The detector has an InAsSb active layer and is based on the new "XBn" device concept, which eliminates Generation-Recombination dark current and enables operation at temperatures of 150K or higher, while maintaining excellent image quality. Such high operating temperatures reduce the cooling requirements of Focal Plane Array (FPA) detectors dramatically, and allow the use of a smaller closed-cycle Stirling cooler. As a result, the complete Integrated Detector Cooler Assembly (IDCA) has about 60% lower power consumption and a much longer lifetime compared with IDCAs based on standard InSb detectors and coolers operating at 77K. In this work we present a new large format IDCA designed for 150K operation. The 15 μm pitch 1280×1024 FPA is based on SCD's XBn technology and digital Hercules ROIC. The FPA is housed in a robust Dewar and is integrated with Ricor's K508N Stirling cryo-cooler. The IDCA has a weight of ~750 gram and its power consumption is ~ 5.5 W at a frame rate of 100Hz. The Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) of the IDCA is more than 20,000 hours, greatly facilitating 24/7 operation.

Over the past few years, a new type of High Operating Temperature (HOT) photon detector has been developed at SCD, which operates in the blue part of the MWIR window of the atmosphere (3.4-4.2 μm). This window is generally more transparent than the red part of the MWIR window (4.4-4.9 μm), especially for mid and long range applications. The detector has an InAsSb active layer, and is based on the new "XBn" device concept. We have analyzed various electrooptical systems at different atmospheric temperatures, based on XBn-InAsSb operating at 150K and epi-InSb at 95K, respectively, and find that the typical recognition ranges of both detector technologies are similar. Therefore, for very many applications there is no disadvantage to using XBn-InAsSb instead of InSb. On the other hand XBn technology confers many advantages, particularly in low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) and in the high reliability of the cooler and Integrated Detector Cooler Assembly (IDCA). In this work we present a new IDCA, designed for 150K operation. The 15 μm pitch 640×512 digital FPA is housed in a robust, light-weight, miniaturised Dewar, attached to Ricor's K562S Stirling cycle cooler. The complete IDCA has a diameter of 28 mm, length of 80 mm and weight of < 300 gm. The total IDCA power consumption is ~ 3W at a 60Hz frame rate, including an external miniature proximity card attached to the outside of the Dewar. We describe some of the key performance parameters of the new detector, including its NETD, RNU and operability, pixel cross-talk, and early stage yield results from our production line.

Long range sights and targeting systems require a combination of high spatial resolution, low temporal NETD, and wide field of view. For practical electro-optical systems it is hard to support these constraints simultaneously. Moreover, achieving these needs with the relatively low-cost Uncooled μ-Bolometer technology is a major challenge in the design and implementation of both the bolometer pixel and the Readout Integrated Circuit (ROIC). In this work we present measured results from a new, large format (1024×768) detector array, with 17μm pitch. This detector meets the demands of a typical armored vehicle sight with its high resolution and large format, together with low NETD of better than 35mK (at F/1, 30Hz). We estimate a Recognition Range for a NATO target of better than 4 km at all relevant atmospheric conditions, which is better than standard 2nd generation scanning array cooled detector. A new design of the detector package enables improved stability of the Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC) to environmental temperature drifts.

Dual-color imaging in the Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) is required in some airborne Missile Warning Systems (MWS) due to its ability to reduce the number of false alarms in this application by comparing the signal in the two spectral bands. Furthermore, such systems demand high frame rate, spatial resolution, and spectral resolution, while at the same time call for simultaneous collection and readout of the two color images. Monolithic dual-color Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) lack at least some of these requirements. In this work we introduce a new hybrid dual-color detector based on two 480×384/20μm digital InSb FPAs, assembled in a single Dewar, where the high degree of spatial registration between the two color channels enables a solution that achieves the above requirements. Each FPA has its own cold shield and spectral filter, and the signal is snapshot integrated and read out in parallel to obtain complete dual-color simultaneity. The sensor imaging optics is integrated inside the Dewar for both channels in order to reduce the overall system size and weight, and improve its performance at the extreme environmental conditions imposed by this application. In this case the hybrid dual-color Integrated Dewar-Cooler Assembly (IDCA) is designed for a very wide field of view (>100°), suited for the specific airborne Missile Warning System (MWS). We present the independent electro-optical results of both the red and the blue channels, together with the measured negligible spectral cross-talk and high spatial registration between them.

A bariode is a new type of "diode-like" semiconductor photonic device, in which the transport of majority carriers is blocked by a barrier in the depletion layer, while minority carriers, created thermally or by the absorption of light, are allowed to pass freely across the device. In an n-type bariode, also known as an XBnn structure, both the active photon absorbing layer and the barrier layer are doped with electron donors, while in a p-type bariode, or XBpp structure, they are both doped with electron acceptors. An important advantage of bariode devices is that their dark current is essentially diffusion limited, so that high detector operating temperatures can be achieved. In this paper we report on MWIR n-type bariode detectors with an InAsSb active layer and an AlSbAs barrier layer, grown on either GaSb or GaAs substrates. For both substrate types, the bariodes exhibit a bandgap wavelength of ~ 4.1 μm and operate with Background Limited Performance (BLIP) up to at least 160K at F/3. Different members of the XBnn device family are investigated, in which the contact layer material, "X", is changed between n-InAsSb and p-GaSb. In all cases, the electro-optical properties of the devices are similar, showing clearly the generic nature of the bariode device architecture. Focal Plane Array detectors have been made with a pitch of 15 or 30μm. We present radiometric performance data and images from our Blue Fairy (320×256) and Pelican (640×512) detectors, operating at temperatures up to 180K. We demonstrate for both GaSb and GaAs substrates that detector performance can be achieved which is close to "Rule 07", the benchmark for high quality, diffusion limited, Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) devices.

The XBnn high operating temperature (HOT) detector project at SCD is aimed at developing a HOT (~150K) mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detector array, based on InAsSb/AlSbAs barrier detector or "bariode" device elements. The essential principle of the XBnn bariode architecture is to suppress the Generation-Recombination contribution to the dark current by ensuring that the depletion region of the device is contained inside a large bandgap n-type barrier layer (BL) and excluded from the narrow bandgap n-type active layer (AL). The band profile of the XBnn device leads to effective blocking of electron transport across the BL while maintaining a free path for the holes, thus assuring a high internal quantum efficiency (QE). Our devices exhibit a very large minority carrier lifetime (~700 ns), leading to a very low dark current of 50% of maximum response is ~ 4.1 μm. We show an image registered at 150K with a 640×512/15 μm Pelican FPA, using f/3.2 optics. The operability at 150K is >99.5% and the measured NETD, limited only by shot and Read-Out noise, is 20 mK for a 22 ms integration time. At this f/number, the detector has a background limited performance (BLIP) up to ~165K.

An XBn photovoltaic device has a band profile similar to that of a standard homojunction p-n diode, except that the depletion region is made from a wide bandgap barrier material with a negligible valence band offset but a large conduction band offset. In this notation, "X" stands for the n- or p-type contact layer, "B", for the n-type, wide bandgap, barrier layer, and "n", for the n-type, narrow bandgap, active layer. In this work, we report on the fabrication of XBn devices, which were grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on GaSb substrates. Each structure has an InAsSb active layer of thickness ~1.5μm and a 0.2-0.5μm thick AlSbAs barrier layer. Good growth uniformity was achieved with lattice matching of better than 500ppm. Selected layers have been processed into devices which operate with a high internal quantum efficiency at a bias of ~0.1-0.2V, and which exhibit a very low dark current due to the strong suppression of the current component due to bulk Generation-Recombination processes. From dark current measurements, a minority carrier lifetime of >670nS has been estimated in devices with an active layer doping of ~4×1015cm-3. In optimized, lattice matched, devices with this doping and an active layer thickness of 4μm, a cut-off wavelength of ~ 4.0 - 4.1μm is expected at 160K, with a dark current density of ~10-6 A cm-2 and a quantum efficiency of >70% (λ

Detectors composed of novel Antimonide Based Compound Semiconductor (ABCS) materials offer some unique advantages. InAs/GaSb type II superlattices (T2SL) offer low dark currents and allow full bandgap tunability from the MWIR to the VLWIR. InAs1-xSbx alloys (x~0.1) also offer low dark currents and can be used to make MWIR devices with a cut-off wavelength close to 4.2μm. Both can be grown on commercially available GaSb substrates and both can be combined with lattice matched GaAlSbAs barrier layers to make a new type of High Operating Temperature (HOT) detector, known as an XBn detector. In an XBn detector the Generation-Recombination (G-R) contribution to the dark current can be suppressed, giving a lower net dark current, or allowing the same dark current to be reached at a higher temperature than in a conventional photodiode. The ABCS program at SCD began several years ago with the development of an epi-InSb detector whose dark current is about 15 times lower than in standard implanted devices. This detector is now entering production. More recently we have begun developing infrared detectors based both on T2SL and InAsSb alloy materials. Our conventional photodiodes made from T2SL materials with a cut-off wavelength in the region of 4.6μm exhibit dark currents consistent with a BLIP temperature of ~ 120-130K at f/3. Characterization results of the T2SL materials and diodes are presented. We have also initiated a program to validate the XBn concept and to develop high operating temperature InAsSb XBn detectors. The crystallographic, electrical and optical properties of the XBn materials and devices are discussed. We demonstrate a BLIP temperature of ~ 150K at f/3.

Over the past few years SCD has developed a new InAlSb diode technology based on Antimonide Based Compound Semiconductors (ABCS). In addition SCD has lead in the development of a new standard of silicon readout circuits based on digital processing. These are known as the "Sebastian" family of focal plane processors and are available in 384 × 480 and 512 × 640 formats. The combination of ABCS diode technology with digital readout capability highlights an important cornerstone of SCDs 3rd generation detector program. ABCS diode technology offers lower dark currents or higher operating temperatures in the 100K region while digital readouts provide very low noise and high immunity to external interference, combined with very high functionality. In this paper we present the current status of our ABCS-digital product development, in which the detectors are designed to provide improved performance characteristics for applications such as hand-held thermal imagers, missile seekers, airborne missile warning systems, long-range target identification and reconnaissance, etc. The most important Detector-Dewar-Cooler Assembly (DDCA) parameters are reviewed, according to each specific application. Benefits of these products include lower power consumption, lighter weight, higher signal-to-noise ratio, improved cooler reliability, faster mission readiness, longer mission times and more compact solutions for volume-critical applications. All these advantages are being offered without sacrificing the standard qualities of SCDs InSb Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs), such as excellent radiometric performance, image uniformity, high operability and soft-defect cosmetics.© (2006) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Since the late 1990s Semiconductor devices (SCDs) has developed and manufactured a variety of InSb two-dimensional (2D) focal plane arrays (FPAs) that were implemented in many infrared (IR) systems and applications. SCD routinely manufactures both analog and digital InSb FPAs with array formats of 320×256, 480×384, and 640×512 elements, and pitch size in the range 15 to 30 μm. These FPAs are available in many packaging configurations, including fully integrated detector-Dewarcooler-assembly, with either closed-cycle Stirling or open-loop Joule-Thomson coolers. In response to a need for very high resolution midwave IR (MWIR) detectors and systems, SCD has developed a large format 2D InSb detector with 1280×1024 elements and pixel size of 15 μm. The ROIC is fabricated in CMOS 0.18-μm technology, that enables the small pixel circuitry and relatively low power generation at the focal plane. The digital ROIC has an analog to digital (A/D) converter per-channel and allows for full frame readout at a rate of 100 Hz. Such on-chip A/D conversion eliminates the need for several A/D converters with fairly high power consumption at the system level. The digital readout, together with the InSb detector technology, lead to a wide linear dynamic range and low residual nonuniformity, which is stable over a long period of time following a nonuniformity correction procedure. A special Dewar was designed to withstand harsh environmental conditions while minimizing the contribution to the heat load of the detector. The Dewar together with the low power ROIC, enable a megapixel detector with overall low size, weight, and power with respect to comparable large format detectors. A variety of applications with this detector make use of different cold shields with different f-number and spectral filters. In this paper we present actual performance characteristics of the megapixel InSb detector and demonstrate its high manufacturability.

We demonstrate the suppression of the bulk generation- recombination current in nBn devices based on an InAsSb active layer (AL) and a AlSbAs barrier layer (BL). This leads to much lower dark cur- rents than in conventional InAsSb photodiodes operating at the same temperature. When the BL is p-type, very high doping must be used in the AL (nBpn + ). This results in a significant shortening of the device cut- off wavelength due to the Moss-Burstein effect. For an n-type BL, low AL doping can be used (nBnn), yielding a cutoff wavelength of ∼4.1 μm and a dark current close to ∼3 × 10 −7 A/cm 2 at 150 K. Such a device with a4 -μm-thick AL will exhibit a quantum efficiency (QE) of 70% and background-limited performance operation up to 160 K at f/3. We have madenBnnfocalplane arraydetectors(FPAs)with a 320 ×256 formatand a 1.3-μm-thick AL. These FPAs have a 35% QE and a noise equivalent temperature difference of 16 mK at 150 K and f/3. The high performance of our nBnn detectors is closely related to the high quality of the molecular beam epitaxy grown InAsSb AL material. On the basis of the temperature dependence of the diffusion limited dark current, we estimate a minority carrier lifetime of ∼670 ns. C 2011 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers