High-Performance MWIR HgCdTe on Si Substrate Focal Plane Array Development
Abstract
The development of low noise-equivalent differential temperature (NEDT), high-operability midwave infrared (MWIR) focal plane arrays (FPAs) fabricated from molecular beam epitaxial (MBE)-grown HgCdTe on Si-based substrates is reported. High-quality n-type MWIR HgCdTe layers with a cutoff wavelength of 4.90 μm at 77 K and a carrier concentration of 1-2 × 1015 cm-3 were grown on CdTe/Si substrates by MBE. Highly uniform composition and thickness over 3-inch areas were demonstrated, and low surface defect densities (voids ~5 × 102 cm-2, micro-defects ~5 × 103 cm-2) and etch pit density (~3.5 × 106 cm-2) were measured. This material was used to fabricate 320 × 256, 30 μm pitch FPAs with planar device architecture; arsenic implantation was used to achieve p-type doping. Radiometric and noise characterization was also performed. A low NEDT of 13.8 m K at 85 K for a 1 ms integration time with f/#2 optics was measured. The NEDT operability was 99% at 120 K with a mean dark current noise of 8.14 × 10-13 A/pixel. High-quality thermal images were obtained from the FPA up to a temperature of 150 K.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Electronic Materials
- Pub Date:
- September 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s11664-015-3852-z
- Bibcode:
- 2015JEMat..44.3151B
- Keywords:
-
- MBE;
- HgCdTe;
- MWIR;
- silicon;
- CdTe;
- dark current;
- FPA;
- NEDT