High-Speed InSb photodetectors on GaAs for mid-IR applications

We report p-i-n type InSb-based high-speed photodetectors grown on GaAs substrate. Electrical and optical properties of photodetectors with active areas ranging from 7.06 × 10 -6 cm 2 to 2.25 × 10 -4 cm 2 measured at 77 K and room temperature. Detectors had high zero-bias differential resistances, and the differential resistance area product was 4.5 Ω cm 2. At 77 K, spectral measurements yielded high responsivity between 3 and 5 μm with the cutoff wavelength of 5.33 μm. The maximum responsivity tor 80-μm diameter detectors was 1.00 × 10 5 V/W at 435 μm while the detectivity was 3.41×10 9 cm Hz 1/2/W. High-speed measurements were done at room temperature. An optical parametric oscillator was used to generate picosecond full-width at half-maximum pulses at 2.5 μm with the pump at 780 mm. 30-μm diameter photodetectors yielded 3-dB bandwidth of 8.5 GHz at 2.5 V bias.