A High-Performance, Room Temperature Camera with 2.5 ¿m Response

We propose to develop and deliver a 320x240 element Indium Gallium Arsenide-based camera with response from 1.5 ¿m - 2.5 ¿m and room temperature detectivity > 1x10(12)cm(Hz)/W. Dark currents in presently available material must be significantly reduced in order to achieve this goal. We believe this can be accomplished by significantly (>10x) reducing crystal defects in the epitaxial grown InGaAs. The main object of the Phase I study is to better understand the influence of lattice-mismatched-related crystal defects on the optoelectronic properties of the 2.5 ¿m detectors and how to minimize the number of these defects by appropriate epitaxial growth procedures. In Phase I, we will design and grow 2.5 ¿m linearly graded InP/InAsP/InGaAs/InAsP epitaxial structures. This material will be structurally, electrically and optically evaluated to determine the appropriate epitaxial growth procedures which minimize the lattice-mismatch-related crystal defects. This will allow us to fabricate a high resolution near infrared camera in Phase II with detectivities beyond 10(12)cm(Hz)/W, operating at room temperature with a thermo-electric cooler.