Degradation of minority carrier lifetime and performance of mid-wave infrared GaInAsSbBi <i>n</i>B<i>n</i> photodetectors as a function of 63 MeV proton irradiation

A A. T. Newell (Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,) J J. V. Logan (Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,) R R. A. Carrasco (Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,) C C. P. Hains (Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate 1 , Kirtland AFB, New Mexico 87117,) Z Z. M. Alsaad (Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,) C C. Sturtevant (Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , Albuquerque, New Mexico 87117,) G G. Ariyawansa (Air Force Research Laboratory, Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB 3 , Dayton, Ohio 45433,) J J. M. Duran (Air Force Research Laboratory, Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB 3 , Dayton, Ohio 45433,) D D. Maestas (Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,) C C. P. Morath (Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,) P P. T. Webster (Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate 2 , Kirtland AFB, New Mexico 87117,)

Abstract

Alloys of GaInAsSbBi are grown by molecular beam epitaxy with various Bi compositions and subjected to a collimated beam of 63 MeV protons. Photoluminescence structures are used to evaluate the material’s minority carrier lifetime damage factor, and nBn structures are produced to investigate the detector’s rate of performance degradation. The lifetime damage factors of the photoluminescence structures containing 0.35% and 0.30% Bi are comparable at 2.4 × 10−6 and 2.2×10−6cm2/p+s, respectively, whereas the Bi-free counterpart sample exhibits a significantly higher lifetime damage factor of 3.8×10−6cm2/p+s. Two mid-wave infrared nBn detectors with 0.30% Bi absorbing regions, exhibiting a cutoff wavelength of 4.8 μm, are characterized in situ between step doses for dark current and quantum efficiency, and the dark-current-limited shot-noise-equivalent irradiance is calculated as a function of proton fluence. The noise-equivalent irradiance damage factor for both nBn structures is found to be 3.6 × 10−2 photons/p+, roughly 2.7× lower than other mid-wave infrared superlattice-based nBn detectors.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 138, Issue 12
Published September 28, 2025
ISSN 0021-8979
Publisher American Institute of Physics

Journal Info

Journal of Applied Physics

American Institute of Physics

ISSN: 0021-8979 Physical Sciences

Authors (11)

A

A. T. Newell

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,

J

J. V. Logan

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,

R

R. A. Carrasco

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,

C

C. P. Hains

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate 1 , Kirtland AFB, New Mexico 87117,

Z

Z. M. Alsaad

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,

C

C. Sturtevant

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , Albuquerque, New Mexico 87117,

G

G. Ariyawansa

Air Force Research Laboratory, Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB 3 , Dayton, Ohio 45433,

J

J. M. Duran

Air Force Research Laboratory, Sensors Directorate, Wright-Patterson AFB 3 , Dayton, Ohio 45433,

D

D. Maestas

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,

C

C. P. Morath

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland AFB 1 , New Mexico 87117,

P

P. T. Webster

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate 2 , Kirtland AFB, New Mexico 87117,