Theory of multiple-stage interband photovoltaic devices and ultimate performance limit comparison of multiple-stage and single-stage interband infrared detectors

A theoretical framework for studying signal and noise in multiple-stage interband infrared photovoltaic devices is presented. The theory flows from a general picture of electrons transitioning between thermalized reservoirs. Making the assumption of bulk-like absorbers, we show how the standard semiconductor transport and recombination equations can be extended to the case of multiple-stage devices. The electronic noise arising from thermal fluctuations in the transition rates between reservoirs is derived using the Shockley-Ramo and Wiener-Khinchin theorems. This provides a unified noise treatment accounting for both the Johnson and shot noise. Using a Green's function formalism, we derive consistent analytic expressions for the quantum efficiency and thermal noise in terms of the design parameters and macroscopic material properties of the absorber. The theory is then used to quantify the potential performance improvement from the use of multiple stages. We show that multiple-stage detectors can achieve higher sensitivities for applications requiring a fast temporal response. This is shown by deriving an expression for the optimal number of stages in terms of the absorption coefficient and absorber thicknesses for a multiple-stage detector with short absorbers. The multiple-stage architecture may also be useful for improving the sensitivity of high operating temperature detectors in situations where the quantum efficiency is limited by a short diffusion length. The potential sensitivity improvement offered by a multiple-stage architecture can be judged from the product of the absorption coefficient, alpha, and diffusion length, L-n, of the absorber material. For detector designs where the absorber lengths in each of the stages are equal, the multiple-stage architecture offers the potential for significant detectivity improvement when alpha L-n <= 0.2. We also explore the potential of multiple-stage detectors with photocurrent-matched absorbers. In this architecture, the absorbers are designed to absorb and collect an equal number of carriers in each stage. It is shown that for zero-bias operation, this design has a higher ultimate detectivity than a single-absorber device. Such improvements in detectivity are significant for material with alpha L-n <= 0.5. Using the results derived for general values of alpha L-n, we offer an outlook for multiple-stage detectors that utilize InAs/GaSb superlattice absorbers. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.