LAUSR

The highest performance of interband cascade detectors optimized for the longwave range of infrared radiation is investigated in this work to include decisive electric gain contribution. Presently, AIIIBV-type-II superlattice systems exhibit short carrier lifetimes limited by Shockley–Read–Hall generation–recombination processes. The maximum reported carrier lifetimes at 77 K for the InAs/GaSb and InAs/InAsSb type-II superlattices in longwave range correspond to ∼ 200 ns and ∼ 400 ns, respectively. We estimated theoretical detectivity of interband cascade detectors versus high operating temperatures, number of stages, absorber thickness, absorption coefficient and carrier lifetime; carrier lifetime were varied up to the reported value of MCT ∼ 1 μs. It has been shown that for room temperature the utmost performance–detectivity ∼ 1010 cmHz1/2/W for the optimized detector operating in the longwave range ∼ 10 μm and assuming electric gain effect could be reached.