This letter focuses on the first-principles model of the photocurrent in quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs). The model explores the absorption coefficient measured experimentally. Then we move to show how the responsivity and quantum efficiency vary with α. The work in this paper shows that the device response indeed increases as QWIPs are designed and fabricated to detect longer wavelengths despite the fall in device performance as a result of the growing effect of the dark (noise) current.

Date Published: 1 July 2003
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 4999, Quantum Sensing: Evolution and Revolution from Past to Future, (1 July 2003); doi: 10.1117/12.480307

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4999:
Quantum Sensing: Evolution and Revolution from Past to Future
Manijeh Razeghi; Gail J. Brown, Editor(s)