GaN/AlGaN Ultraviolet/Infrared Dual-Band Detector

by G. Ariyawansa et al. Applied Physics Letters, 28 Aug 2006 Group III-V wide band gap materials are widely used in developing solar blind, radiation-hard, high speed optoelectronic devices. A device detecting both ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) simultaneously will be an important tool in fire fighting and for military and other applications. Here a heterojunction UV/IR dual-band detector, where the UV/IR detection is due to interband/intraband transitions in the Al_0.026Ga_0.974N barrier and GaN emitter, respectively, is reported. The UV threshold observed at 360 nm corresponds to the band gap of the Al_0.026Ga_0.974N barrier, and the IR response obtained in the range of 8–14 µm is in good agreement with the free carrier absorption model. Read more