In this paper we present p-on-n heterostructure HgCdTe photovoltaic device data that illustrates the high performance and flexibility in band gap control of the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technology. This flexibility demonstration was carried out by growing material for operation in the following cut-off wavelength ((lambda) _co) ranges of interest: LWIR [(lambda) _co(77 K) equals 9-11 micrometers ], MLWIR [(lambda) _co(77 K) equals 6-7 micrometers ], and VLWIR [(lambda) _co(40 K) equals 20 micrometers ]. Detailed analyses of the current-voltage characteristics of these diodes as a function of temperature show that their dark currents are diffusion-limited down to 80 K, 50 K, and 30 K for the MLWIR, LWIR, and VLWIR photodiodes, respectively. In general, the R_oA device values were uniform for the three band gap ranges when operating under diffusion limited conditions. The planar MBE HgCdTe technology has been further validated with the successful fabrication and operation of 64 X 64 hybrid FPAs.

Date Published: 13 July 1994
PDF: 15 pages
Proc. SPIE 2228, Producibility of II-VI Materials and Devices, (13 July 1994); doi: 10.1117/12.179662

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2228:
Producibility of II-VI Materials and Devices
Herbert K. Pollehn; Raymond S. Balcerak, Editor(s)