Antenna-Coupled-Diode (ACD) Detectors for GHz, Octavespanning Photodetectors for MWIR/LWIR

Antenna-coupled-diode (ACD) detectors are proposed as a method for producing a broadband laser receiver with a 5 GHz electronic bandwidth and NEP less than 1 pW/SQRT(Hz).The ACD detector is an uncooled photon detector that may be operated in either the LWIR or MWIR. Unlike other semiconductor based photon detectors such as HgCdTe, InSb, or QWIP, the ACD detector can be fabricated directly onto Si or other substrates in a CMOS foundry. This ability to utilize mature processing infrastructure makes ACD detectors comparable in cost to microbolometers. Unlike microbolometers, the ACD detectors do not have a thermal-time constant limitation. The ACD detectors are capable of ultrafast response suitable for this project.