Update on blocked impurity band detector technology from DRS

Abstract

The Blocked Impurity Band (BIB) detector technology team at DRS Sensors and Targeting Systems specializes in providing the highest performance, broadest application range of BIB detector products. These include detectors, Focal Plane Arrays (FPA), and sensor assemblies for ground, airborne and space applications. We offer flight proven low flux Si:As and Si:Sb FPAs in square formats up to 1024x1024. We also offer high-flux FPA systems for ground-based telescopes and airborne applications in several square and rectangular formats, such as 160x640 sensors for push-broom spatial-spectral imaging. NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission selected DRS 1024x1024 arrays for its the 12 and 24 micron wavelength bands. The Spitzer Space Telescope utilizes DRS 128x128 Si:As and Si:Sb FPAs, and 1024x1024 Si:Sb arrays are being fabricated by DRS for an upgrade to the SOFIA FORCAST instrument. DRS is unique in providing detectors and FPAs in alternate detector materials such as Si:Sb, Si:Ga, and Si:P to optimize wavelength range vs operating temperature. Sensor assemblies include detectors or FPAs packaged with cryogenic cabling and electronics and ambient temperature drive and data acquisition electronics--fully tested, and environmentally qualified. DRS is also unique in extending its conventional BIB detector product line to include novel detector architectures for a variety of applications. Si:As detectors with avalanche gain (~40,000X) function as number-mode photon counters at visible or mid-infrared wavelengths. A recent DRS innovation is the extension of Si:As BIB detectors designs to achieve wavelength extension into the far-infrared (low THz) wavelength region. Wavelength extension to ~50 microns (6 THz) has been demonstrated, with further extension to at least ~100 microns (3 THz) in progress.

Extrinsic Photoconduction Induced Short‐Wavelength Infrared Photodetectors Based on Ge‐Based Chalcogenides

“…[ 3 ] Arsenic‐doped silicon (Si:As) photodetector can be used in the ground‐ and space‐based far‐infrared astronomical field with neutral donor states located at 54 meV from the conduction band edge (Figure 1a‐ii). [ 4 ] Since such low‐energy optical transition is easy to be excited by thermal energy, the detectors need to work at low temperatures to keep impurities at neutral states and limit the dark current (Si:In@77K and Si:As@10K). However, if defects are ionized, the transition from VB to the donor states (unoccupied) or from the acceptor states (occupied) to CB becomes allowed (Figure 1a‐iii).…”

The Long wave (11–16 μm) spectrograph for the EChO M3 Mission Candidate study

“…[6]) that had higher operating temperatures (>20 K) but lower dark current performance, typically of order a few 100 s of e − /s. This reduces the requirement for additional cooling, but has lower performance in terms of dark current compared to the MIRI Si:As detector.…”

High performance infrared detectors compatible with CMOS-circuit process*

“…[10,11,13] Most of the existing siliconbased BIB photoelectric detectors are fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy and standard Si process, which are expensive in cost. [5,10,11,13,[15][16][17][18][19][20] Ion-implantation is a relatively-simple, highly-efficient, and cheap semiconductor-processing technology. It was first used to fabricate BIB detectors by Beeman et al in 2007.…”

“…Both parameters are comparable to or even superior to the corresponding results reported in the literature. [5,[10][11][12]16,19,21] Very importantly, the manufacturing method used for the present Si:P BIB detectors is almost compatible with that for the CMOS-circuit, thus significantly reducing the fabrication cost.…”