In-Plane Resonant Cavity Infrared Photodetectors with Fully Depleted Absorbers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018331237-A1
Application number	US-201816030883-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 10, 2018
Priority date	May 27, 2016
Publication date	Nov 15, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Resonant-cavity infrared photodetector (RCID) devices that include a thin absorber layer contained entirely within the resonant cavity. In some embodiments, the absorber is a single type-II InAs—GaSb interface situated between an AlSb/InAs superlattice n-type region and a p-type AlSb/GaSb region. In other embodiments, the absorber region comprises quantum wells formed on an upper surface of the n-type region. In other embodiments, the absorber region comprises a “W”-structured quantum well situated between two barrier layers, the “W”-structured quantum well comprising a hole quantum well sandwiched between two electron quantum wells. In other embodiments, the RCID includes a thin absorber region and an nBn or pBp active core within a resonant cavity. In some embodiments, the RCID is configured to absorb incident light propagating in the direction of the epitaxial growth of the RCID structure, while in other embodiments, it absorbs light propagating in the epitaxial plane of the structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A chemical sensor, comprising:
an optical source; a first waveguide configured to receive and transmit light having at least one wavelength from the optical source; at least one ring resonator coupled to the first waveguide and being configured to receive an input of the light from the first waveguide; at least one second waveguide coupled at a first end to a corresponding ring resonator, each of the ring resonators having a corresponding resonance wavelength λ i such that each resonator passes only light having its corresponding resonance wavelength into the second waveguide, each of the second waveguides being further coupled at a second end to a corresponding third waveguide; wherein each of the third waveguides is a hybrid waveguide having a corresponding resonant cavity infrared detector (RCID) photodiode integrated therein, each of the RCID photodiodes having an absorber region with a thickness less than 100 nm and being configured to receive light travelling within the hybrid waveguide; wherein each of the RCID photodiodes has a corresponding resonance wavelength that is tuned to match a resonance wavelength λ i of its corresponding ring resonator, each of the RCID photodiodes being configured to detect light only at its corresponding resonance wavelength λ Ri ; wherein the resonance wavelength λ I of each of the ring resonators is configured to align with an absorption spectrum of a chemical species to be detected; and wherein a magnitude of light detected by each of the RCID photodiodes at its resonance wavelength λ Ri is indicative of the presence of at least one chemical species in a sample gas incident on the ring resonator.

2 . The chemical sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the absorber region of each of the RCID photodiodes is less than 10 nm.

3 . A chemical sensor, comprising:
an optical source; a first waveguide configured to receive and transmit light having at least one wavelength from the optical source; at least one ring resonator coupled to the first waveguide and being configured to receive an input of the light from the first waveguide, each of the ring resonators having a corresponding resonant cavity infrared detector (RCID) photodiode integrated therein, each of the RCID photodiodes having an absorber region with a thickness less than 100 nm and being configured to receive light travelling within its corresponding ring resonator; wherein each of the ring resonators and the RCID photodiodes has the same resonance wavelength λ i , λ i being tuned to a predetermined value configured to align with an absorption spectrum of a chemical species to be detected; wherein a magnitude of light detected by each of the RCID photodiodes at a predetermined resonance wavelength λ Ri is indicative of the presence of at least one chemical species in a sample gas incident on the ring resonator.

4 . The chemical sensor according to claim 3 , wherein the thickness of the absorber region of each of the RCID photodiodes is less than 10 nm.

Assignees

• Us Gov Sec Navy
• Us Gov Sec Navy

Inventors

• Meyer Jerry R
• Vurgaftman Igor
• Canedy Chadwick Lawrence
• Bewley William W
• Kim Chul Soo
• Merritt Charles D
• Warren Michael V
• Kim Mijin
• Stanton Eric

Classifications

• G02B2006/12061

  Silicon · CPC title

• G01N21/00

  Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light (G01N3/00 - G01N19/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01N21/3504

  for analysing gases, e.g. multi-gas analysis · CPC title

• G01N21/7746

  the waveguide coupled to a cavity resonator · CPC title

• G02B2006/12138

  Sensor · CPC title