Performance modeling of MWIR InAs/GaSb/B–Al0.2Ga0.8Sb type-II superlattice nBn detector

This paper reports on the unipolar medium wavelength infrared (MWIR) InAs/GaSb/B–Al0.2Ga0.8Sb type-II superlattice (T2SL) nBn detector's photoelectrical performance. In our model, the heterojunction barrier-active region (absorber) was assumed to be decisive as the contributing dark current mechanism limiting nBn's detector performance. The voltage drop analysis on the nBn structure was introduced to estimate the bias drop on the heterojunction barrier-active region. It was assumed that the contact n+-barrier heterojunction's layer has an insignificant influence on the electrical properties of the detector. In addition, a bulk-based model with an effective band gap of T2SL material has been assumed in the device modeling. Both current–voltage (I–V) and differential resistance–area product RA(V,T), characteristics of nBn's detector were found to be dominated by diffusion and generation–recombination currents in the zero-bias and the low-bias regions. At medium values of reverse voltages, the dark current was mostly affected by trap-assisted tunneling, whereas the band-to-band tunneling revealed its contribution at high values of reverse bias (V > 0.7 V). The RA(V,T) characteristics' fitting procedure allowed estimation of both diffusion and generation–recombination lifetimes as well as the trap energy level temperature dependence within T2SL energy gap. It was predicted that at T = 77 K, the RA product and detectivity reached values of 1000 Ωcm2 and 4 × 1011 cm Hz1/2 W-1, respectively. The corresponding values at room temperature were 0.01 Ωcm2 and D* = 5 × 108 cmHz1/2 W−1, respectively. Finally, InAs/GaSb/B–Al0.2Ga0.8Sb T2SLs nBn's state of the art was compared to the performance of InAs/GaSb T2SLs PIN photodiodes and the HgCdTe bulk photodiodes operated at near-room temperature. It was shown that the RA product of the MWIR T2SLs nBn detector has reached a comparable level with the state of the art of the HgCdTe bulk photodiodes.