Agile and Repeatable Source for Molecular Beam Epitaxial Growth of Digital and Analog Alloys
Abstract
We seek to enhance our molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth infrastructure for synthesizing emerging photonic materials and devices that operate in the near-, mid-, and farinfrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Specifically, we request a Veeco Mark V valved-antimony (corrosive series) cracker source and associated accessories ($94,674.62 requested, supplemented by $45,000 matching support from UT-Austin) to greatly enhance our materials growth capabilities of mixed arsenide-antimonide-bismide analog and digital alloys. This instrumentation will dramatically-enhance our ongoing DoD-sponsored research in several areas, including the synthesis of: (1) near- and mid-infrared low-noise AlInAsSb digital alloy avalanche photodiode (APD) and staircase APD structures on InP, InAs, and GaSb substrates, (2) highly-strained GaInAsSb(Bi) mid-infrared diode-lasers on GaSb substrates, and (3) type-II InAs/InAsSb superlattices on GaSb for power limiters and mid-/far-infrared detectors that exploit emergent light-matter interactions. The Veeco Mark V source features dramaticallyimproved temporal flux modulation, greatly increased across-wafer flux uniformity, and several other design improvements over our current antimony source. These advantages will significantly improve our ability to fundamentally control the MBE growth process of the aforementioned materials, leading to new avenues in basic materials research, signficantly improved discrete device performance, as well as the ability to produce uniform large-area samples necessary to demonstrate detector arrays. In addition to greatly enhancing our on-going research, this instrumentation will also establish manifold new research capabilities. For example, the requested instrumentation will enable us to investigate the growth of III-V compounds containing both antimony and boron, such as BInAsSb. BInAsSb is particularly attractive as a mid-/far-infrared absorber layer for photodetectors as theory predicts that bandgaps ranging from 0-360 meV, corresponding to any desired cutoff wavelength >3.4 µm, can be accessed lattice-matched to InAs or GaSb substrates. In essence, BInAsSb has the potential to serve as a bandgap-tunable III-V alternative to HgCdTe. Moreover, it could interface seamlessly with our AlInAsSb digital alloy multipliers to extend the spectral coverage of low-noise III-V APDs far into the infrared. These critical new capabilities (lifespan 20-25 years) will dramatically enhance the PIÕs current, upcoming, and long-term research efforts sponsored by DoD, while providing hands-on experience characterizing new state-of-the-art materials/devices to a number of future scientists and engineers. Indeed, the advances in nanostructured materials that this instrumentation will enable have manifold application to future strategic DoD capabilities in (multi-modal) sensing, 3- D LIDAR, laser-based countermeasures, free-space communications, security screening, IED detection, and chemical/gas sensing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 09, 2020
- Source ID
- W911NF2010087
Entities
People
- Seth R. Bank
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Texas at Austin