Thomson-csf

Thales

Commissariat &#xc0; L'&#xc9;nergie Atomique Et Aux &#xc9;nergies Alternatives

Alcatel Lucent

Societe Francaise De Detecteurs Infrarouges-sofradir

Sofradir

Philippe Bois

Eric Costard

Emmanuel Rosencher

Jean-Yves Duboz

Jean-Luc Reverchon

Alfredo De Rossi

Marcel-Francis Audier

Eric Herniou

Borge Vinter

Alexandru Nedelcu

Michel Papuchon

Xavier Hugon

Claude Weisbuch

Norbert Moussy

Benoit Giffard

Jean Massies

Vincent Berger

Mathieu Carras

Eric Belhaire

Marcel Francis Audier

Frédéric Van Dijk

Xavier Marcadet

Nadia Briere De L'Isle

François Duport

Francedillaois Luc

Gerard Neu

Nicolas Grandjean

Pascal Krapf

Olivier Parillaud

Jean-Luc Raymond Reverchon

M Alexandru Nedelcu

Disclosed is a photodetector which includes, in series along a stacking direction: a first layer forming a substrate of a first semiconductor material; a second layer forming a photoabsorbent layer of a second semiconductor material having a second gap; a third layer forming a barrier layer of a third semiconductor material; and a fourth layer forming a window layer of a fourth semiconductor material, the first material, the third material and the fourth material each having a gap larger than the second gap, the fourth material being n-doped or non-doped and the third material being non-doped or lightly p-doped when the second material is n-doped, and the fourth material being p-doped or non-doped and the third material being non-doped or lightly n-doped when the second material is p-doped.

Photodetector comprising a stack of vertically adjacent layers

The invention relates to a pixel of a CMOS imager, the pixel comprising:

Pixel of a CMOS imager of an optical detector

This optical detector unit is a hybrid unit operating in a given wavelength range and includes, superposed, a first optical detector comprising detecting elements formed in a semiconductor structure, each detecting element being intended for converting a flux of incident photons into an electrical signal; and a first read out circuit, for reading the electrical signal from each detecting element. The optical detector unit furthermore has an imaging system with a second optical detector intended for increasing the operating wavelength range of the optical detector unit and a second read out circuit for reading the electrical signals from the detecting elements of the second optical detector. The first and second read out circuit are integrated together, so as to form a common read out circuit.

Optical detector unit

A semiconductor-based SWIR infrared detector sensitive to wavelengths shorter than about 2.5 microns comprises a stack of semiconductor layers based on III-V materials forming a PIN photodiode. The stack includes a naked electrical contact, called a lower electrical contact, serving as an optical window; and a detection layer sensitive to said wavelengths. The lower contact comprises at least one layer of indirect-bandgap III-V material(s) doped n-type, pseudomorphic or lattice matched with a substrate intended to serve as a temporary substrate possibly being made of a III-V material such as InP or GaAs or of silicon or germanium.

Infrared detector with extended spectral response in the visible field

The invention relates to a multispectral imaging device comprising a multiple-quantum-well structure operating on inter-sub-band transitions by absorbing radiation at a wavelength &#x3bb; lying within a set of wavelengths to which said structure is sensitive, said structure comprising a matrix of individual detection pixels, characterized in that the matrix is organized in subsets (E) of four individual detection pixels, a first individual detection pixel (P) comprising a first diffraction grating (R) sensitive to a first subset of wavelengths, a second individual detection pixel (P) comprising a second diffraction grating (R) sensitive to a second subset of wavelengths, a third individual detection pixel (P) comprising a third diffraction grating (R) sensitive to a third subset of wavelengths and a fourth individual detection pixel (P) not comprising a wavelength-selective diffraction grating, the first, second and third subsets of wavelengths belonging to the set of wavelengths to which said structure is sensitive.

Multispectral imaging device based on multiple quantum wells

The invention relates to a detector comprising a multiple quantum well structure operating on interband or intersubband transitions by absorption of radiation having a wavelength &#x3bb; having a polarization comprising a component perpendicular to the plane of the multiple quantum well structure, and comprising optical coupling means for coupling said radiation, wherein the coupling means comprise a set of first diffractive lamellar features that are distributed along at least a first direction and a set of second diffractive lamellar features that are distributed along at least a second direction, said first and second directions being mutually perpendicular and lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the multiple quantum well structure.

Electromagnetic wave detector with an optical coupling surface comprising lamellar patterns

The invention relates to an optical coupling structure intended to couple electromagnetic radiation to the surface of a photodetector, wherein a coupling surface paved along mutually perpendicular first and second directions by a set of N series (M1i, M2i, . . . . Mni) of first features, second features, . . . nth features, the features being identical within any one series, the features being distributed along the first and second directions, the distance between the centers of two adjacent features or the inter-reticular distances between two adjacent features being variable. The subject of the invention is also a detector or a laser source comprising said coupling structure.

Amorphous optical coupling structure for an electromagnetic wave detector and associated detector

The field of the invention is that of photodetectors (), and more precisely so-called quantum well photodetectors operating in the medium infrared, known by the acronym QWIP standing for Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector. It is an object of the invention to increase the detectivity of the detectors by significantly reducing the surface area of the detection zone while conserving the incident flux. This result is obtained by arranging a structure () or grating on the active zone () of the photodetector (), which couples the incident wave and confines it on the active zone (). The major features of this structure () or this grating are that it comprises patterns or grooves having a first spatial frequency and a second spatial frequency, and also comprising a central defect.

Photodetector having a near field concentration

A quantum well made out of a the stack of layers of III-V semiconductor materials comprises, in addition to the quantum well, an electron storage layer separated from the quantum well by a transfer barrier layer. The barrier layer has a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the quantum well by about one order of magnitude. This barrier thus enables the separation of the absorption function (in the quantum well) and the function of reading the photocarriers (in the storage layer) and therefore the limiting of the rate of recombination of the carriers, thus improving the performance characteristics of the detector.

Quantum well detector with layer for the storage of photo-excited electrons

Polarimetric optical device with an insulating layer between detectors

A bi-functional optical detector including a first active photoconduction detection element configured to detect light within first and second wavelength ranges, a first diffraction grating associated with the first detection element and configured to couple the light within the first wavelength range so that the first active photoconducting detection element detects the light in the first wavelength range, a second active photoconduction detection element configured to detect light within the first and second wavelength ranges, and a second diffraction grating associated with the second detection element and configured to couple the light within the second wavelength range so that the second active photoconduction detection element detects the light in the second wavelength range. Also included is a third active photoconduction detection element associated with the first detection element and configured to detect the light within the first and second wavelength ranges, a fourth active photoconduction detection element associated with the second detection element and configured to detect the light within the first and second wavelength ranges, and a common contact layer separating the first and second detection elements from the third and fourth detection elements.

Bi-functional optical detector including four optical detectors used to detect combination of two wavelengths

Electromagnetic wave detector using quantum wells and subtractive detectors

The disclosure relates to a bispectral electromagnetic wave detector including at least one first and one second overlaid plane active detector elements separated by a common layer, said first and second detector elements being sensitive to the different wavelengths; a first means of connection connected in common to said first and second detector elements, a second means of connection connected to said first detector element, and a third means of connection connected to said second detector element; means for applying successively a control voltage to each means of connection; and means connected to said first means of connection to detect a photoconduction current each time a control voltage is applied. The invention is used in applications requiring detection of electromagnetic waves in two bands of different wavelengths.

Bispectral electromagnetic wave detector

An electromagnetic wave detector having a first detector element including an active photoconducting material capable of detecting a band of wavelength and a second detector element including an active photoconducting material capable of detecting the same band of wavelength. A common layer is positioned between the first and second detector elements. A first and second connectors are configured to connect to the first and second detector elements, respectively. A third connector is configured to connect in common to the first and second detector elements. The detector further includes contact mechanisms configured to apply control voltages where the voltage applied to the third connector has a value between the values applied to the first and second connectors. A reading circuit connected to the third connector reads a photoconduction current difference between the first and the second detector elements. The applied control voltages are adjusted voltages such that the dark currents or the sums of the dark currents and the background light-currents generated in the two detector elements are equal.

Electromagnetic wave detector

Device for the detection and processing of optical radiations, comprising at least one quantum well having asymmetric composition, said well consisting of a stack of layers of materials having differing gaps.

Device for the detection of optical radiations

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Cesson, France

Philippe Bois