Room temperature Si:S barrier infrared detector with broadband response up to 4.4{\mu}m

TL;DR

This paper introduces a room-temperature silicon sulfur barrier infrared detector with broadband response up to 4.4 micrometers, achieving high efficiency and low cost, suitable for large-scale production.

Contribution

The work presents a novel silicon sulfur barrier detector design that significantly improves mid-infrared detection performance at room temperature using standard silicon fabrication processes.

Findings

Response range from 1.12 to 4.4 μm with peak at 3.3 μm

Quantum efficiency exceeds previous silicon-based detectors by an order of magnitude

Detectivity at 90K reaches 1.4×10^11 Jones

Abstract

Mid-infrared spectrum is a critical tool for chemical analysis, industrial inspection, environment, and other fields due to its rich chemical bond information. However, the complicated growth or fabrication procedures of existing mid-infrared sensitive materials hinder the large-scale production and utilization of mid-infrared detectors. To address this issue, we developed Si:S barrier detectors employing sulfur doped silicon and a sophisticated band barrier design. Since the transport of dark current and photo current is separated, the barrier design effectively suppresses the dark current while allowing the photo current to leverage gain mechanisms, thereby substantially improving signal-to-noise ratio. As a result, the detector exhibits an infrared response range covering from 1.12 to 4.4{\mu}m with a peak at 3.3{\mu}m, excluding its intrinsic response in visible range. Its peak quantum efficiency surpasses that of the best mid-infrared silicon-based detector reported to date by an order of magnitude, reaching 2% at room temperature. The peak detectivity at 90K is 1.4E11 Jones @1.4V and decreases to 4.4E9 Jones @1.4V, 210K, comparable to the typical III-V and IV-VI photodetectors at one thousandth fabrication cost. Leveraging the well-established silicon-based manufacturing process, this device holds promise for large-scale production at a reduced price, offering a cost-effective solution for future mid-infrared detection.