High Speed Room Temperature Infrared Imaging

We propose the development of infrared detectors with high detectivities operating at high speeds and at room temperature in the 1-12 micron wavelength range using a combination of two techniques. First, non-equilibrium device operation concepts will be implemented to suppresses both radiative and Auger recombination. Second, the detector volume is incorporated into a resonant cavity, which gives rise to a substantial reduction of thermal generation currents by permitting a small active volume without degrading the quantum efficiency. It also permits the predetermination of the peak wavelength of the optical resonance, and high speed operation is obtained due to short carrier transit times. In Phase I, we will develop a 2D model simulating the performance of the detectors fabricated based on the above techniques. EPIR Technologies will model the electrical and optical characteristics of these detectors and establish the feasibility of growing them by molecular beam epitaxy. The University of Michigan will model their transient response using the carrier continuity equations based on drift, diffusion, and G-R processes in the semiconductor material. SPILAB, a subcontractor for this program, will study the detector-signal processor interface.