Hrl Laboratories, LLC

The Boeing Company

Hughes Aircraft Company

Raytheon Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Raytehon Company

Terence J De Lyon

Hasan Sharifi

Rajesh D Rajavel

Daniel Yap

Sevag Terterian

David T Chang

Deborah J Kirby

Brett Z Nosho

Pierre-Yves Delaunay

Jeffery J Puschell

James H Schaffner

Daniel J Gregoire

Sarabjit Mehta

Metin S Mangir

Frederic P Stratton

Michael Aidan Gritz

John A Roth

Jar Jueh Lee

Scott M Johnson

Damodaran Rajavel

An infrared photo-detector array and a method for manufacturing it are disclosed. The infrared photo-detector array contains a plurality of pyramid-shaped structures, a first light-absorbing material supporting the plurality of the pyramid-shaped structure, a carrier-selective electronic barrier supporting the first light-absorbing material, a second light-absorbing material supporting the carrier-selective electronic barrier, and a metal reflector supporting the second light-absorbing material, wherein the plurality of the pyramid shaped structures are disposed on the side of the photo-detector array facing the incident light to be detected and the metal reflector is disposed on the opposite side of the photo-detector array. The method disclosed teaches how to manufacture the infrared photo-detector array.

Reduced volume dual-band MWIR detector

An infrared detector and a method for manufacturing it are disclosed. The infrared photo-detector contains a photo absorber layer responsive to infrared light, a first barrier layer disposed on the absorber layer, wherein the first barrier layer substantially comprises AlSb, a second barrier layer disposed on the first barrier layer, wherein the second barrier layer substantially comprises AlGaSb and a contact layer disposed on the second barrier layer.

Infrared photo-detector with low turn-on voltage

A position sensitive detector includes a substrate, an absorber layer on the substrate, a barrier layer on the absorber layer, a contact layer on the barrier layer, and a first contact and a second contact on the contact layer. The barrier layer prevents a flow of majority carriers from the absorber layer to the contact layer. The position sensitive detector is sensitive to a lateral position between the first contact and the second contact of incident light on the contact layer.

Low cost, high performance barrier-based position sensitive detector arrays

An infrared detector is provided. The infrared detector includes an absorption layer sensitive to radiation in only a short wavelength infrared spectral band, and a barrier layer coupled to the absorption layer. The barrier layer is fabricated from an alloy including aluminum and antimony, and at least one of gallium or arsenic, and the composition of the alloy is selected such that valence bands of the absorption layer and the barrier layer substantially align.

Infrared detector and method of detecting one or more bands of infrared radiation

A dual-band infrared detector is provided. The dual-band infrared detector includes a first absorption layer sensitive to radiation in only a short wavelength infrared spectral band, and a barrier layer coupled to the first absorption layer. The barrier layer is fabricated from an alloy including aluminum and antimony, and at least one of gallium or arsenic. The dual-band infrared detector also includes a second absorption layer coupled to the barrier layer opposite the first absorption layer. The second absorption layer is sensitive to radiation in only a medium wavelength infrared spectral band. The composition of the alloy used to fabricate the barrier layer is selected such that valence bands of the barrier layer and the first and second absorption layers substantially align.

An infrared photodetector including a substrate, a barrier layer, and an absorber layer disposed between the substrate and the barrier layer, the absorber layer having a molar concentration grading that results in an uncoated quantum efficiency of greater than about 40 percent.

Graded infrared photodetector and method

The invention describes a device which enables MWIR photodetectors to operate at zero bias and deliver low dark current performance. The performance is achieved by incorporating a p-n junction in the barrier. The device consists of a p-type contact layer, a p-n junction in the compound barrier (CB) with graded composition and/or doping profiles, and an n-type absorber (p-CB-n) device.

MWIR photodetector with compound barrier with P-N junction

Using a multiple layer, varied composition barrier layer in place of the typical single layer barrier layer of an infrared photodetector results in a device with increased sensitivity and reduced dark current. A first barrier is adjacent the semiconductor contact; a second barrier layer is between the first barrier layer and the absorber layer. The barrier layers may be doped N type or P type with Beryllium, Carbon, Silicon or Tellurium. The energy bandgap is designed to facilitate minority carrier current flow in the contact region and block minority current flow outside the contact region.

Compound-barrier infrared photodetector

Using a highly doped Cap layer of the same composition as the Contact material in an nBn or pBp infrared photodetector allows engineering of the energy band diagram to facilitate minority carrier current flow in the contact region and block minority current flow outside the Contact region. The heavily doped Cap layer is disposed on the Barrier between the Contacts but electrically isolated from the Contact material.

Infrared photodetector with reticulated contact

A dual band detector includes a substrate, a composite barrier, a first absorber on the substrate and on a light incident side of the composite barrier, the first absorber for detecting first infrared light wavelengths, a second absorber on the composite barrier on a side opposite the light incident side, the second absorber for detecting second infrared light wavelengths, wherein a bandgap of the first absorber is larger than that of the second absorber, wherein the composite barrier includes a first secondary barrier, a primary barrier, and a second secondary barrier, wherein the first and second secondary barriers may have a lower bandgap energy than the primary barrier, wherein the first or the second secondary barrier may have a doping level and type different from that of the primary barrier, and wherein at least the primary barrier blocks majority carriers and allows minority carrier flow.

Dual band SWIR/MWIR and MWIR1/MWIR2 infrared detectors

A conformal coherent wideband antenna coupled IR detector array included a plurality of unit cells each having a dimension that includes an antenna for focusing radiation onto an absorber element sized less than the dimension. In one embodiment, the absorber element may be formed of a mercury cadmium telluride alloy. According to a further embodiment, the antenna array may be fabricated using sub-wavelength fabrication processes.

Nano-antenna for wideband coherent conformal IR detector arrays

In one embodiment, a multiband infrared (IR) detector array includes a metallic surface having a plurality of periodic resonant structures configured to resonantly transmit electromagnetic energy in distinct frequency bands. A plurality of pixels on the array each include at least first and second resonant structures corresponding to first and second wavelengths. For each pixel, the first and second resonant structures have an associated detector and are arranged such that essentially all of the electromagnetic energy at the first wavelength passes through the first resonant structure onto the first detector, and essentially all of the electromagnetic energy at the second wavelength passes through the second resonant structure onto the second detector. In one embodiment, the resonant structures are apertures or slots, and the IR detectors may be mercad telluride configured to absorb radiation in the 8-12 &#x3bc;m band. Detection of more than two wavelengths may be achieved by proper scaling. A method of forming an IR detector array is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Newbury Park, CA, United States of America

Terence J De Lyon