Capture dynamics and far-infrared response in photovoltaic quantum well intersubband photodetectors

Recent progress in photovoltaic quantum well intersubband photodetectors (QWIP) makes these devices suitable for high-performance imaging and heterodyne detection. We report on investigations concerning the basic physics of the transport mechanism, the dynamical behavior, and the further optimization of these structures. GaAs/AlAs/AlGaAs double-barrier QWIPS designed for 3-5 mu m wavelength operation provide an interesting model system to study the dynamical aspects of the photovoltaic response. We find strong evidence that carrier transfer across the AlAs barriers mainly occurs due to Gamma-X intervalley scattering, even for AlAs layer thicknesses of 1-2 nm. We also discuss experimental results on photovoltaic QWIPs operating in the 8-12 mu m regime. In these structures, photovoltaic operation is achieved using a combination of single-barrier quantum wells with built-in space-charge fields. We report on a photovoltaic QWIP with a cutoff energy of 118 meV and a zero-bias detectivity of 2.5 x 10(9) cm root Hz/W, which is only three times less than the detectivity of a photoconductive QWIP with the same cutoff energy. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited