US 2011/0079765 A1Published application

Infrared detector, infrared detecting apparatus, and method of manufacturing infrared detector

AssigneesMitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., National University Corporation Nagoya University

InventorsFumihito Soma, Yoshikatsu Kuroda, Kazunori Masukawa, Masahiro Kato, Masahito Yamaguchi

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Abstract

An infrared detector comprises: a reflection portion which transmits far- and middle-infrared rays and which reflects near-infrared and visible rays; a photo-current generating portion having a plurality of layered quantum dot structures in each of which electrons are excited by the far- and middle-infrared rays having passed through the reflection portion so as to generate photo-current; a light emitting portion having a plurality of layered quantum well structures into each of which electrons of the photo-current generated by the photo-current generating portion are injected and in each of which the electrons thus injected thereinto are recombined with holes so as to emit near-infrared and visible rays; and a photo-detecting portion which detects the near-infrared and visible rays emitted from the light emitting portion and which detects the near-infrared and visible rays emitted from the light emitting portion and then reflected by the reflection portion. The reflection portion, the photo-current generating portion, and the light emitting portion are made of group III-V compound semiconductors that are layered on top of a semiconductor substrate.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An infrared detector comprising:

a reflection portion which transmits rays in the far-infrared range and in the middle-infrared range and which reflects rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range;
a photo-current generating portion having a plurality of layered quantum dot structures in each of which electrons are excited by the rays in the far-infrared range and in the middle-infrared range having passed through the reflection portion and in each of which the electrons thus excited generate photo-current;
a light emitting portion having a plurality of layered quantum well structures into each of which electrons of the photo-current generated by the photo-current generating portion are injected and in each of which the electrons thus injected thereinto are recombined with holes so as to emit rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range;
and
a photo-detecting portion which detects the rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range emitted from the light emitting portion and which detects the rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range emitted from the light emitting portion and then reflected by the reflection portion, the infrared detector, wherein
at least the reflection portion, the photo-current generating portion, and the light emitting portion are made of group III-V compound semiconductors, and are layered on top of a substrate, and
incident rays in the far-infrared range and in the middle-infrared range are detected by the detection, performed by the photo-detecting portion, of the rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range emitted from the light emitting portion.

4 more elements

A method of manufacturing an infrared detector comprising the steps of:

forming a light emitting portion on top of a substrate, the light emitting portion having a plurality of layered quantum well structures in each of which electrons and holes are recombined together so that rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range are emitted;
forming a photo-current generating portion on top of the light emitting portion, the photo-current generating portion having a plurality of layered quantum dot structures in each of which electrons are excited by rays in the far-infrared range and in the middle-infrared range and in which the electrons thus excited generate photo-current that is to be injected into the light emitting portion;
forming a layer of a reflection portion on top of the photo-current generating portion so as to form a first element, the reflection portion transmitting rays in the far-infrared range and in the middle-infrared range incident into the photo-current generating portion, and reflecting rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range emitted from the light emitting portion;
forming an independent second element with a photo-detecting portion which detects the rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range emitted from the light emitting portion and which detects the rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range emitted from the light emitting portion and reflected by the reflection portion;
and
bonding the first element and the second element to form a single united body, wherein
at least the reflection portion, the photo-current generating portion, and the light emitting portion are made of group III-V compound semiconductors by the same crystal-growth method, and
thereby an infrared detector that detects the incident rays in the far-infrared range and in the middle-infrared range by making the photo-detecting portion detect the rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range emitted from the light emitting portion is manufactured.

5 more elements

A method of manufacturing an infrared detector comprising the steps of:

forming a layer of a photo-detecting portion on top of a substrate (10) made of a group III-V compound semiconductor, the photo-detecting portion detecting rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range;
forming a light emitting portion on top of the photo-detecting portion, the light emitting portion having a plurality of layered quantum well structures in each of which electrons and holes are recombined together so that rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range to be detected by the photo-detecting portion are emitted;
forming a photo-current generating portion on top of the light emitting portion, the photo-current generating portion having a plurality of layered quantum dot structures in each of which electrons are excited by rays in the far-infrared range and in the middle-infrared range and in which the electrons thus excited generate photo-current that is to be injected into the light emitting portion;
and
forming a layer of a reflection portion on top of the photo-current generating portion, the reflection portion transmitting rays in the far-infrared range and in the middle-infrared range incident into the photo-current generating portion, and reflecting rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range, which are emitted from the light emitting portion, towards the photo-detecting portion, wherein
all of the reflection portion, the photo-current generating portion, the light emitting portion, and the photo-detecting portion are made of group III-V compound semiconductors by the same crystal-growth method so as to form a single united body, and
thereby an infrared detector that detects the incident rays in the far-infrared range and in the middle-infrared range by making the photo-detecting portion detect the rays in the near-infrared range and in the visible range emitted from the light emitting portion is manufactured.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/772,380Filed 3 May 2010
Priority: JP 2009-2301732 Oct 2009
Published: 7 Apr 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H10F 55/155
Wherein the radiation-sensitive devices and the electric light source are all semiconductor devices: formed in, or on, a common substrate
H10F 30/21
The devices having potential barriers, e.g. phototransistors: the devices being sensitive to infrared, visible or ultraviolet radiation
H10F 30/225
The devices having only one potential barrier, e.g. photodiodes: the potential barrier working in avalanche mode, e.g. avalanche photodiodes
H10F 77/14
Semiconductor bodies: shape of semiconductor bodies; Shapes, relative sizes or dispositions of semiconductor regions within semiconductor bodies