Embedded Plasmonic Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector

In order to lessen the strain of cooling requirements on mid-infrared detectors, reducing the volume of the detecting medium is one promising solution. It is necessary to augment the absorption (quantum efficiency) lost when shrinking the detector volume. We present a Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector with a plasmonic structure embedded within and around the detection media. This device has a self-aligned plasmonic-hole array designed for 8 mu m wavelength and a planar top contact to the array of detector material. This arrangement has an expected field enhancement of an order of magnitude and lends itself to making a Focal Plane Array.