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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6

The DUV Stability of Superlattice-Doped CMOS Detector Arrays

JPL and Alacron have recently developed a high performance, DUV camera with a superlattice doped CMOS imaging detector. Supperlattice doped detectors achieve nearly 100% internal quantum efficiency in the deep and far ultraviolet, and a single layer, Al2O3 antireflection coating enables 64% external quantum efficiency at 263nm. In lifetime tests performed at Applied Materials using 263 nm pulsed, solid state and 193 nm pulsed excimer laser, the quantum efficiency and dark current of the JPL/Alacron camera remained stable to better than 1% precision during long-term exposure to several billion laser pulses, with no measurable degradation, no blooming and no image memory at 1000 fps.

silicon detectors↗

Optical Studies on Antimonide Superlattice Infrared Detector Material

In this study the material quality and optical properties of type II InAs/GaSb superlattices are investigated using transmission and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The influence of the material quality on the intensity of the luminescence and on the electrical properties of the detectors is studied and a good correlation between the photodetector current-voltage (IV) characteristics and the PL intensity is observed. Studies of the temperature dependence of the PL reveal that Shockley-Read-Hall processes are limiting the minority carrier lifetime in both the mid-IR wavelength and the long-IR wavelength detector material studied. These results demonstrate that PL spectroscopy is a valuable tool for optimization of infrared detectors.

heterostructure↗

P-Compensated and P-Doped Superlattice Infrared Detectors

Barrier infrared detectors configured to operate in the long-wave (LW) infrared regime are provided. The barrier infrared detector systems may be configured as pin, pbp, barrier and double heterostructrure infrared detectors incorporating optimized p-doped absorbers capable of taking advantage of high mobility (electron) minority carriers. The absorber may be a p-doped Ga-free InAs/InAsSb material. The p-doping may be accomplished by optimizing the Be doping levels used in the absorber material. The barrier infrared detectors may incorporate individual superlattice layers having narrower periodicity and optimization of Sb composition to achieve cutoff wavelengths of.about.10.mu.m.

Khoshakhlagh, Arezou↗

High performance GaSb/InAs superlattice long-wave infrared focal plane array

We describe the demonstration of a ¼ VGA format long-wavelength infrared focal plane array based on an InAs/GaSb superlattice absorber surrounded by an electron-blocking and a hole-blocking unipolar barrier. An 8.8 μm cutoff focal plane without antireflection coating based on this complementary barrier infrared detector design has yielded noise equivalent differential temperature of 18.6 mK at operating temperature of 80K, with 300 K background and f/2 cold-stop.

Mumolo, J. M.↗

Low Frequency 1/f Noise on QWIPs, nBn, and Superlattice Focal Plane Array

Noise Equivalent Difference Temperature (NE△T) is a standard performance metric for most infrared focal plane array (FPA) systems. The frequency bandwidth and range associated with NE△T is at high frequency and it does not describe the long time noise behavior or the very low frequency noise of the FPA. Very low frequency noise measurement requires data capture that takes longer time duration and sampling interval. This study investigates low frequency noise in QWIP, nBn and LWIR n-type Complementary Barrier Infrared Detector (CBIRD) FPAs. The corner frequencies are extracted from the power spectral density (PSD) as function of frequency. The peak wavelength, quantum efficiency of QWIP detector are 6.2 µm and 2 %, respectively. QWIP FPA has a mean NE△T ~ 25 mK at an operating temperature of 65 K and an integration time of 16 msec. The mean QWIP PSD plot shows a corner frequency of < 0.5 mHz. The nBn FPA with 4 µm cut off and quantum efficiency of 67 % has NE△T ~ 15.6 mK at an integration time ~ 7.52 msec and an operating temperature of 120 K. The nBn has corner frequency of > 50 mHz. Lastly the n-type CBIRD FPA with a 50% cutoff at 8.8 µm and quantum efficiency of ~ 50 % has an NE△T ~ 18.6 mK at an integration time of 1.86 msec and operating temperature 120 K. The superlattice FPA has a corner frequency ~ 10 mHz. The investigation of the tail on the NE△T histogram reveals that its origin is not accounted for entirely by the high noise current, but also it needs the inclusion of lower responsivity for some pixels.

Pepper, B.↗

Progress in InAs/InAsSb Superlattice Barrier Infrared Detectors

The InAs/InAsSb (Gallium-free) type-II strained-layer superlattice (T2SLS) has emerged in recent years as a viable infrared detector material. In particular, mid-wavelength InAs/InAsSb T2SLS focal plane array (FPA) based on the nBn detector architecture exhibits good operating characteristics at 160 K, demonstrating a considerably operating temperature advantage over InSb FPAs. In the long and very long cutoff wavelengths, InAs/InAsSb T2SLS detectors with n-type absorbers are limited in their attainable quantum efficiency (QE) due to shorter hole diffusion lengths and relatively modest absorption coefficients. We have explored long and very long wavelength InAs/InAsSb T2SLS complementary barrier infrared detectors (CBIRDs) that contain p-type absorber layers in order to take advantage of the longer electron diffusion length for QE enhancement. We also discuss recent development of the InAs/InAsSb T2SLS infrared detectors at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA Earth Science applications, including long-wavelength infrared FPAs for land imaging, and mid-wavelength infrared FPAs for CubeSat hyperspectral imaging.

Pagano, Thomas S.↗

Photoluminescence Study of Long Wavelength Superlattice Infrared Detectors

In this paper, the relation between the photoluminescence (PL) intensity and the PL peak wavelength was studied. A linear decrease of the PL intensity with increasing cut-off wavelength of long wavelength infrared CBIRDs was observed at 77 K and the trend remained unchanged in the temperature range 10 - 77 K. This relation between the PL intensity and the peak wavelength can be favorably used for comparison of the optical quality of samples with different PL peak wavelengths. A strong increase of the width of the PL spectrum in the studied temperature interval was observed, which was attributed to thermal broadening.

superlattice↗

Minority Carrier Lifetime and Photoluminescence Studies of Antimony-Based Superlattices

In this paper, we have used the OMR technique to study the minority carrier lifetimes in three InAs/GaSb-photoluminescence (PL) structures with different number of periods in the absorber: 300, 400 and 600 periods respectively. The feasibility of using a visible 643 nm laser source with short penetration depth for lifetime measurements was studied by comparing the achieved results to measurements performed on the same samples with a 1550 nm IR laser source, which penetrates much deeper into the sample. Despite the differences in excitation wavelengths and penetration depths, the results from both measurements were very similar. This indicates that the diffusion length is long enough to facilitate a homogeneous distribution of excess carriers in the material.

photodetector↗

Bulk submillimeter-wave mixers: Strain and superlattices

Strained germanium crystals, doped with gallium, were used as heterodyne mixers at THz frequencies, with infrared bandwidths approaching a GHz. The mixer performance (conversion loss and mixer noise) was analyzed in terms of nonlinearities associated with acceptor levels and with relaxation rates of free holes. Comparison was made with similar mixers employing low lying donor levels in high purity GaAs and with hot electron InSb mixers.

Litvak, M. M.↗

Investigation of superlattice device structures

This report describes the investigation of growth properties, and the structure of epitaxial multilayer Si(Si(1x)Ge(x)) films grown on bulk Silicon Substrates. It also describes the fabrication and characterization of MOSFET and MESFET devices made on these epitaxial films. Films were grown in a CVD reactor using hydrides of Si and Ge with H2 and He as carrier gases. Growth temperatures were between 900 C and 1050 C with most films grown at 1000 C. Layer thickness was between 300A and 2000A and total film thickness was between 0.25 micro m and 7 micro m. The Ge content (X) in the alloy layers was between .05 and 0.2. N-type multilayer films grown on (100) p-type Si showed Hall mobility in the range 1000 to 1500 sq cm/v for an average carrier concentration of approx. 10 to the 16th power/cu cm. This is up to 50% higher than the Hall mobility observed in epitaxial Si films grown under the same conditions and with the same average carrier concentration. The mobility enhancement occurred in films with average carrier concentration (n) from 0.7 x 10 to the 16th power to 2 x 10 to the 17th power/cu cm, and total film thickness greater than 1.0 micro m. No mobility enhancement was seen in n-type multilayer films grown on (111) Si or in p-type multilayer films. The structure of the films was investigated was using SEM, TEM, AES, SIMS, and X-ray double crystal diffraction techniques. The film composition profile (AES, SIMS) showed that the transition region between layers is of the order of about 100A. The TEM examination revealed a well defined layered structure with fairly sharp interfaces and good crystalline quality. It also showed that the first few layers of the film (closest to the substrate) are uneven, most probably due to the initial growth pattern of the epitaxial film where growth occurs first in isolated islands that eventually growth and coalesce. The X-ray diffraction measurement determined the elastic strain and strain relief in the alloy layers of the film and the elastic strain in the intervening Si layers.

Gergis, I. S.↗

Electron Diffraction Evidence for the Ordering of Excess Nickel Atoms by Relation to Stoichiometry in Nickel-Rich Beta'-Nial Formation of a Nickel-Aluminum (Ni2al) Superlattices

In electron diffraction patterns of nickel-rich beta-NiAl alloys, many anomalies are observed. One of these is the appearance of diffuse intensity maxima between the reflexions of the B2 structure. This is explained by the short-range ordering of the excess nickel atoms on the simple cubic sublattice occupied only by aluminum atoms in the stoichiometric, perfectly ordered NiAl alloy. After annealing Ni 37.5 atomic percent Al and Ni 37.75 atomic percent Al for 1 week at 300 and 400 C, the diffuse intensity maxima transformed into sharp superstructure reflexions. These reflexions are explained by the formation of the four possible variants of an ordered hexagonal superstructure corresponding to the Ni2Al composition. This structure is closely related to the Ni2Al3 structure (same space group) formed by the ordering of vacancies on the nickel sublattice in aluminum-rich beta-NiAl alloys.

Reynaud, F.↗

Novel photovoltaic delta-doped GaAs superlattice structure

An asymmetric delta-doped GaAs structure is described which exhibits novel photovoltaic effects and low-intensity nonlinear optics. Of particular interest in this kind of structure is the ability to design the electrooptical and nonlinear optical properties and the material response time over a wide range by appropriate design of the doping profile.

Glass, A. M.↗

Magneto-optic superlattice thin films: Fabrication, structural and magnetic characterization

During this quarter studies were extended to determine the electronic contribution to the perpendicular interface anisotropy in Co-based multilayers. Using in situ Kerr effect measurements, the influences of different transition metals (TM = Ag, Au, Cu, and Pd) on the magnetic properties of single-crystal Co films grown on Pd (111) and Au (111) surfaces are investigated. Last quarter the discovery of a large peak in the perpendicular anisotropy when approximately one monolayer of Cu or Ag is deposited on the Co surface was reported. We now have added a computer-controlled stepper-motor drive to our MBE sample transfer mechanism. The motor allows us to move the sample at a constant velocity from behind a shutter during deposition. The film, therefore, is deposited as a wedge with a linear variation of thickness across the substrate. In this way, a continuous range of coverage on a single sample is studied. The stepper motor also provides the necessary control for precisely positioning the sample in the laser beam for Kerr effect measurements at the different coverages.

Falco, C. M.↗