Accession Number:

ADA370626

Title:

Very-Long-Wavelength Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

FLORIDA UNIV GAINESVILLE

Personal Author(s):

• Tidrow, Meimei Z.
• Jiang, Xudong
• Lee, Jung-Hee
• Li, Sheng S.
• Moon, Junhee

Report Date:

1999-01-01

Pagination or Media Count:

12.0

Abstract:

Infrared detector is a very important part of infrared sensor technology. In ballistic missile defense, infrared sensors play an important role in missile seeking, tracking, guiding, discriminating, and intercepting. Tactical applications for endo-atmospheric situation are mostly under a high background 300K, where a high operating temperature above liquid nitrogen 77K is desired. IR materials such as HgCdTe, InSb, PtSi and quantum well infrared photodetectors QWIP are all suitable detector material systems for tactical applications, in which some material systems are more mature than others. For strategic applications, such as exo-atmospheric interceptors and space-based surveillance sensors, the target is usually far away with a cooler temperature, under a cold background. The detection wavelength of the detector under this situation needs to be at very-long-wavelength region 12 micrometers for efficient detection of the cool target. The current state of the art HgCdTe MCT based IR detectors have not met all these requirements, and QWIPs provide a useful alternative for VLWIR applications. In this presentation, an overview of VLWIR QWIPs is given and three detailed detector structures and performance are discussed.

Descriptors:

• *QUANTUM WELLS
• *INFRARED DETECTORS
• *PHOTODETECTORS
• ANTIMISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS
• PERFORMANCE(ENGINEERING)
• TARGET DETECTION
• INTERCEPTORS
• LONG WAVELENGTHS
• INFRARED OPTICAL MATERIALS
• MERCURY CADMIUM TELLURIDES

Subject Categories:

• Electrooptical and Optoelectronic Devices
• Infrared Detection and Detectors

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE