Improvement of Type II Superlattices by H-Plasma

SVT Associates proposes an innovative atomic Hydrogen enhanced growth and surface preparation technique for high performance Type-II superlattice focal plane array fabrication. This material system is capable of infrared detection from 2 to > 30 micron, depending on layer composition and thickness. Photodetector arrays using this material are of great interest to the DoD for various applications including, in particular, optical detection and tracking of missiles. Hydrogen atomic flux has already been shown to improve other III-V growth, such as InAs. Applying the Hydrogen treatment to the superlattice should result in smoother substrate surfaces, higher material purity and more abrupt superlattice interfaces, all important factors that should significantly enhance device operation. We intend to characterize the positive effects of this Hydrogen process in superlattice structures in Phase I. In Phase II we will refine the Hydrogen process to realize Type-II superlattice discrete detectors and detector arrays.