Progress in Infrared Photodetectors Since 2000

Abstract

The first decade of the 21st-century has seen a rapid development in infrared photodetector technology. At the end of the last millennium there were two dominant IR systems, InSb- and HgCdTe-based detectors, which were well developed and available in commercial systems. While these two systems saw improvements over the last twelve years, their change has not nearly been as marked as that of the quantum-based detectors (i.e., QWIPs, QDIPs, DWELL-IPs, and SLS-based photodetectors). In this paper, we review the progress made in all of these systems over the last decade plus, compare the relative merits of the systems as they stand now, and discuss where some of the leading research groups in these fields are going to take these technologies in the years to come.

A graphene-based Fabry-Pérot spectrometer in mid-infrared region

“…Spectra in mid-infrared are particularly desirable in various fields such as environmental monitoring, chemical sensing and astronomical detecting, because fingerprints of many materials fall in this spectral region5678910111213141516. A typical infrared spectrometer consists of a filter and a detector.…”

Cryogenic measurements of a digital pixel readout integrated circuit for LWIR

“…The ROICs are usually reported at their room temperature (RT) because they can be validated through spice model simulations. In the actual operating conditions, however, the imagers have to be operated at cryogenic temperature (CT) [8,9] for photonic imaging to reduce the noise due to the detectors.…”

Advances in Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis

“…Hence, quantum cascade or quantum well infrared photodetectors based on group III-V materials such as mercury telluride (HgTe) or gallium arsenide/aluminum gallium arsenide (GaAs/AlGaAs) utilizing subband or intersubband transitions for photon detection, respectively, as well as QD-based infrared detectors utilizing intraband transitions, have been reported, along with combinations of both QDs and quantum wells in a dot-in-a-well strategy (71,72). Here, critical parameters for achieving maximum sensitivity are low dark currents and higher operating temperatures, concurrent with significant reduction of thermal noise (73).…”