Long Wavelength Infrared Superlattice

• US 20130043459A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SVT Associates, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SVT Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Yiqiao, Chow, Peter
• Application Number:
  US13/588,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20130043459A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/22
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02398 Antimonides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02463 Arsenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02466 Antimonides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02505 consisting of more than two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02507 Alternating layers, e.g. superlattice
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02546 Arsenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02549 Antimonides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/155 Comprising only semiconductor materials H01L29/154 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/20 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only AIIIBV compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035236 Superlattices; Multiple quantum well structures

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention improves the fabrication and operational characteristics of a type-II superlattice material. Layers of indium arsenide and gallium antimonide comprise the bulk of the superlattice structure. One or more layers of indium antimonide are added to unit cells of the superlattice to provide a further degree of freedom in the design for adjusting the effective bandgap energy of the superlattice. One or more layers of gallium arsenide antimonide are added to unit cells of the superlattice to counterbalance the crystal lattice strain forces introduced by the aforementioned indium antimonide layers.

Claims

1. An artificial type-II superlattice material consisting of repeated unit cells with each said unit cell comprising:

a predominantly GaSb layer with thickness of less than 10 nanometers,

a predominantly InSb interfacial layer with thickness of less than 5 nanometers,

a predominantly InAs layer with thickness of less than 10 nanometers,

a predominantly GaAsSb strain balancing intralayer of less than 5 nanometers.

2. The artificial type-II superlattice material of claim 1 deposited on a substrate, wherein said substrate is predominantly composed of GaSb.

3. The artificial type-II superlattice material of claim 1 deposited on a substrate, wherein said substrate is predominantly composed of InAs.

4. The artificial type-II superlattice material of claim 1 deposited on a substrate, wherein said substrate is predominantly composed of Si.

5. The artificial type-II superlattice material of claim 1 deposited on a substrate, wherein said substrate is predominantly composed of Ge.

6. The artificial type-II superlattice material of claim 1 whereby dopant atoms are added to said superlattice material such that said superlattice material exhibits p-type electrical properties.

7. The artificial type-II superlattice material of claim 1 whereby dopant atoms are added to said superlattice material such that said superlattice material exhibits n-type electrical properties.

8. The artificial type-II superlattice material of claim 1 whereby different dopant atoms are added to said superlattice material at different times during the deposition of said superlattice material such that said superlattice material exhibits diodic electrical properties.

9. The artificial type-II superlattice material of claim 1 deposited by the molecular beam epitaxial growth technique.

10. The artificial type-II superlattice material of claim 1 deposited by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition technique.