Characteristics of hydrogen-plasma-treated In0.5Ga0.5As quantum-dot infrared photodetector

Abstract

The effects of hydrogen (H) passivation on the performance of an In0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs quantum-dot infrared detector (QDIP) have been investigated. After hydrogen (H) passivation, the device characteristics of QDIP were improved. The dark currents, which were thought to be caused by interfacial traps between quantum dots and GaAs, were noticeably decreased by 4 orders of magnitude at a positive bias voltage, and photoluminescence (PL) intensity was increased about 1.7 times by reducing non-radiative defect centers. Photo-response, which could not be observed in as-grown QDIP due to large dark currents and defects, was measured successfully with H passivation.