III-V material superlattice infrared focal plane array technology

During last decade, several Government-funded programs resulted in a groundbreaking new infrared focal plane array (FPA) material that serves as a low cost and more reliable FPA alternative for DoD military systems. These new IR FPAs use the Sb-based III-V semiconductor Type-II Superlattice (T2SL) infrared detector technology with bandgap-engineered device architectures. Follow on programs have accelerated the manufacturability of T2SL FPAs sensitive in single and multiple infrared bands with inherent operability, uniformity, and stability advantages. Today, T2SL materials grown on very-large diameter (up to 6") gallium antimonide (GaSb) substrates with higher processing yields provide a much lower cost option for very large format staring imagers in mid- and long-wavelength infrared bands. This talk reviews the current state of T2SL FPA technology and discusses remaining challenges for further advancement of this infrared detector technology.