A characterization technique for quantum well infrared photodetectors

Despite the rapid development of the quantum well (QW) infrared technology, the intrinsic properties of the QW infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) have not been directly measured under the operating conditions of the detector. In this work, we introduce a characterization technique, which utilizes the surface corrugation to probe the absorption coefficient and the photoconductive gain of a QWIP under different operating conditions. This technique enables the intrinsic properties of the detector to be more accurately characterized and its performance better assessed. A mid-wavelength QWIP is used for the demonstration of this technique. The results are compared to those deduced from the conventional measurements. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)02246-9].