INFLUENCE OF OXYGEN ON THE PERFORMANCE OF GAAS/ALGAAS QUANTUM-WELL INFRARED PHOTODETECTORS

Abstract

The influence of oxygen on the performance of GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIP) has been studied. Photoluminescence and secondary ion mass spectroscopy were used to examine the relationship between the quality of AlGaAs and the oxygen content that were then correlated to the performance of QWIPs. It was found that oxygen is the dominant impurity in the GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice. Because oxygen atoms behave likes electron traps, which effectively reduce the carrier concentration in the material, both of the responsivity and the dark current of QWIP are reduced. The detectivities of QWIPs with lower oxygen concentrations are better than those with higher oxygen concentrations.