Design and Modeling of HgCdTe nBn Detectors

An n-type mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) unipolar nBn infrared detector structure is proposed as a means of achieving performance limited by intrinsic thermal carrier generation without requirements for p-type doping. Numerical modeling was utilized to calculate the current-voltage and optical response characteristics and detectivity values for HgCdTe nBn and p-n junction devices with a cut-off wavelength of 12 mu m for temperatures between 50 K and 300 K. Calculations demonstrate similar dark current density, responsivity, and detectivity values within 10% for the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) nBn detector compared with the p-n junction structure for temperatures from 50 K to 95 K. These results show that the HgCdTe nBn device may be a promising alternative for achieving high performance using a simplified device structure while circumventing issues related to p-type doping in current p-n junction technology such as achieving low, controllable doping concentrations, and serving as a basis for next-generation device structures.