IR Imaging Arrays Turn to Quantum Wells

Manijeh Razeghi, Northwestern University

A new semiconductor-based infrared detector technology for mid- and long-wavelength instruments is ready for the marketplace. The quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP) is based on absorption by confined carriers in multiple quantum wells. QWIPs have a narrow absorption spectrum that can be tailored to match any transition in the 3- to 20-mm wavelength range by adjusting the quantum well width and barrier layer composition. More important, they can be made using III-V semiconductors based on gallium arsenide or indium phosphide.