Atomic layer deposited Al 2O 3 passivation of type II InAs/GaSb superlattice photodetectors

Taking advantage of the favorable Gibbs free energies, atomic layer deposited (ALD) aluminum oxide (Al 2O 3) was used as a novel approach for passivation of type II InAs/GaSb superlattice (SL) midwave infrared (MWIR) single pixel photodetectors in a self cleaning process (λ cut-off ∼ 5.1 m). Al 2O 3 passivated and unpassivated diodes were compared for their electrical and optical performances. For passivated diodes, the dark current density was improved by an order of magnitude at 77 K. The zero bias responsivity and detectivity was 1.33 A/W and 1.9 × 10 13 Jones, respectively at 4μm and 77 K. Quantum efficiency (QE) was determined as 41 for these detectors. This conformal passivation technique is promising for focal plane array (FPA) applications. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.