Extended short-wave infrared strain-layered superlattice on indium arsenide substrate and associated methods

• US 10,453,979 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teledyne FLIR LLC (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Huang, Edward K., Hood, Andrew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Tong-Ho
• Application Number:
  US15/384,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20170179317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 257 21
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1446 in a repetitive configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03046 including ternary or quaternary compounds, e.g. GaAlAs, InGaAs, InGaAsP
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035236 Superlattices; Multiple quantum well structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035263 Doping superlattices, e.g. nipi superlattices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/109 the potential barrier being of the PN heterojunction type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1844 comprising ternary or quaternary compounds, e.g. Ga Al As, In Ga As P
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/44 Means to utilise heat energy, e.g. hybrid systems producing warm water and electricity at the same time directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H01L31/0525
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/60 Thermal-PV hybrids

Abstract

Materials and methods may be provided for short-wave infrared (SWIR) superlattice materials. The superlattice material includes a first sub-layer comprising InAs, and a second sub-layer adjacent to the first sub-layer including AlSb, AlAsSb, or InAlAsSb.

Claims

1. An infrared detector comprising:

an InAs substrate; and

a strain-layered superlattice including;

a first sub-layer comprising InAs on the InAs substrate;

a second sub-layer directly on the first sub-layer comprising InAlAsSb;

a third sub-layer comprising InAs on the second sub-layer; and

a fourth sub-layer comprising InAlAsSb directly on the third sub-layer.

2. The infrared detector of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the first sub-layer ranges from about 10 to 50 angstroms and wherein a thickness of the second sub-layer ranges from about 10 to 30 angstroms.

3. The infrared detector of claim 1, wherein the InAlAsSb is present as In_0.2Al_0.8As_0.30Sb_0.7, In_0.5Al_0.5As_0.5Sb_0.5, or In_0.5Al_0.5As_0.57Sb_0.43.

4. The infrared detector of claim 1, wherein the infrared detector detects infrared wavelengths of about 1 μ

m to 3 μ

m.

5. A structure comprising:

an InAs substrate;

a strain-layered superlattice including;

a first sub-layer comprising InAs on the InAs substrate;

a second sub-layer directly on the first sub-layer comprising InAlAsSb; and

a plurality of periods on the second sub-layer, each of the plurality of periods including;

a third sub-layer comprising InAs; and

a fourth sub-layer adjacent to the third sub-layer comprising InAlAsSb.

6. The structure of claim 5, wherein a thickness of the first sub-layer and the third sub-layer in each of the plurality of periods ranges from about 10 to 50 angstroms, and wherein a thickness of the second sub-layer and the fourth sub-layer in each of the plurality of periods ranges from about 10 to 30 angstroms.

7. The structure of claim 5, wherein the InAlAsSb is present as In_0.2Al_0.8As_0.30Sb_0.7, In_0.5Al_0.5As_0.5Sb_0.5, or In_0.5Al_0.5As_0.57Sb_0.43.

8. The structure of claim 5, which detects infrared wavelengths of about 1 μ

m to 3 μ

m.

9. The structure of claim 5, wherein the structure is doped n-type.

10. An infrared detector comprising the structure of claim 5 in an absorber region of the infrared detector.

11. An infrared camera, comprising a focal plane array comprising the infrared detector of claim 10.

12. A PIN (p-doped semiconductor layer, intrinsic detector layer, and n-doped semiconductor layer) detector, PBN (p-doped semiconductor layer, barrier layer, and n-doped semiconductor layer), detector, or NBN (n-doped semiconductor layer, barrier layer, and n-doped semiconductor layer) detector comprising the structure of claim 5.

13. A method comprising:

providing an InAs substrate;

forming a strain-layered superlattice by;

depositing a first sub-layer of InAs on the InAs substrate;

depositing a second sub-layer of InAlAsSb directly on the first sub-layer;

depositing a third sub-layer of InAs on the second sub-layer; and

depositing a fourth sub-layer of InAlAsSb directly on the third sub-layer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

depositing the second sub-layer comprises epitaxially growing the InAlAsSb on the first sub-layer; and

forming the strain-layered superlattice further comprises forming a plurality of periods on the fourth sub-layer, each of the plurality of periods including;

a fifth sub-layer comprising InAs; and

a sixth sub-layer directly on the fifth sub-layer comprising InAlAsSb.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the InAlAsSb is epitaxially grown using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) or metallo organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).

16. The method of claim 13, wherein a thickness of the deposited second sub-layer is about 10 to 30 angstroms and wherein a thickness of the deposited first sub-layer is about 10 to 50 angstroms.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a cut-off wavelength for the strain-layered superlattice, and adjusting a thickness of a sub-layer of the strain-layered superlattice based on the cut-off wavelength.

18. A method of forming an infrared detector assembly comprising:

forming the strain-layered superlattice according to the method of claim 13; and

forming at least one infrared detector element over the strain-layered superlattice.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the infrared detector assembly comprises a PBN (p-doped semiconductor layer, barrier layer, and n-doped semiconductor layer) device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the strain-layered superlattice has a thickness of about 1 μ

m, and wherein the strain-layered superlattice detects infrared wavelengths of about 1 to 3 μ

m.