Abstract
In the realm of near-infrared spectroscopy, the detection of molecules has been achieved using on-chip waveguides and resonators. In the mid-infrared band, the integration and sensitivity of chemical sensing chips are often constrained by the reliance on off-chip light sources and detectors. In this study, we demonstrate an InAs/GaAsSb superlattice mid-infrared waveguide integrated detector. The GaAsSb waveguide layer and the InAs/GaAsSb superlattice absorbing layer are connected through evanescent coupling, facilitating efficient and high-quality detection of mid-infrared light with minimal loss. We conducted a simulation to analyze the photoelectric characteristics of the device. Additionally, we investigated the factors that affect the integration of the InAs/GaAsSb superlattice photodetector and the GaAsSb waveguide. Optimal thicknesses and lengths for the absorption layer are determined. When the absorption layer has a thickness of 0.3 μm and a length of 50 μm, the noise equivalent power reaches its minimum value, and the quantum efficiency can achieve a value of 68.9%. The utilization of waveguide detectors constructed with III-V materials offers a more convenient means of integrating mid-infrared light sources and achieving photoelectric detection chips.
The mid-infrared band comprises two distinct atmospheric windows of 3-5 μm and 8-14 μm. It includes the thermal radiation features of objects and molecular fingerprint regions. Consequently, the mid-infrared band is extensively across various domains, including infrared thermal imagin
The emergence of InAs/GaAsSb type-II superlattice materials introduces a novel technology for infrared detection and offers new possibilities for mid-infrared waveguide detector
The optical detection of the waveguide detector was simulated using the finite element method.

Fig. 1 Schematic structure of the waveguide detector and optical beam propagation simulation
图1 波导集成探测器结构示意图和光束传播模拟

Fig. 2 Absorption coefficient and refractive index of InAs/GaAsSb superlattice
图 2 InAs/GaAsSb 超晶格材料吸收系数和折射率
Devices with different thicknesses and lengths of the absorption layer were simulated, and the quantum efficiency was calculated. From the obtained results, the responsivity of the device, represented as R, can be expressed as:
, | (1) |
where is the average output current, is the average input power. can be expressed as:
, | (2) |
where q is the electronic charge, is the quantum efficiency at the wavelength of , h is the Planck constant and c is the speed of light in vacuum. By combining Eqs. (
. | (3) |
In the context of free-space detection, it is observed that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) exhibits a proportional relationship with the square root of the detector area. In the case of waveguide-integrated detectors, the distribution of the optical signal across the surface of the detector is not uniform as the light propagates through the waveguide towards the detector. In this scenario, the relationship between SNR and the square root of the detector area is no longer valid. Therefore, the noise equivalent power (NEP) is used as a characterization of SNR, replacing detectivity (D*) as the evaluation metric for the devic
, | (4) |
where is the diffusion length, as the absorption layer of the waveguide detector is relatively thin, typically > , is the thermal generation rate of minority carrier, , is the concentration of minority carrier , is the carrier lifetime of minority carrier, is the working voltage, is the thickness of the absorption layer, T is the working temperature, and K is the Boltzmann constant. The expression for NEP is:
, | (5) |
where is the current response, is the mean square noise current, assuming that only the current generated by the shot noise is considered here, under reverse bias:
, | (6) |
where is the dark current, is the bandwidth. Based on the above equation, it can be concluded tha
, | (7) |
where A is the area of the detector.
It's essential that the waveguide exhibits excellent transmission capabilities for optical interconnects between the detector and other devices. Therefore, it's desirable for the GaAsSb waveguide layer exposed to air to support single-mode propagation in order to minimize transmission losses. By utilizing Maxwell's equations and boundary continuity conditions, the characteristic equation for the TE mode can be obtained:
, | (8) |
where is the phase constant of GaAsSb waveguide layer in the x-direction, d is the thickness of GaAsSb layer, , , are the refractive indices of GaAsSb waveguide layer, the doped InAs lower cladding layer and air. is the wave number in vacuum. The value range of m is an integer starting from 0, representing the order of the mode. When , the fundamental mode exists and the first-order mode is cut off.
As shown in

Fig. 3 (a) At a wavelength of 4.6 μm, the variation of waveguide loss with waveguide thickness, and the variation of quantum efficiency with waveguide thickness after the waveguide is integrated with the detector with a length of 200 μm, thicknesses of 0.7 μm, 0.95 μm and 1.2 μm respectively (the thickness here refers to the total thickness of the p-i-n structure, and only the thickness of the absorption layer is different); (b) the variation of quantum efficiency and responsivity of waveguide detector (absorption layer with a length of 200 μm, a thickness of 0.3μm) with wavelength; (c) the relationship between waveguide loss and wavelength
图3 (a) 工作波长4.6 μm下,波导损耗随波导厚度的变化关系,以及波导分别与长200 μm,厚0.7 μm、0.95 μm、1.2 μm的探测器(此处特指pin结构的总厚度,且只有吸收层厚度不同)集成后,量子效率随波导厚度的变化关系;(b) 波导探测器(吸收层长 200 μm,厚 0.55 μm )的量子效率和响应度随波长的变化关系;(c) 波导损耗随波长的变化关系
The performance of waveguide detectors is influenced by the thickness and length of the absorption layer.

Fig. 4 The variation of quantum efficiency and responsivity with the (a) thickness and (b) length of the absorption layer at 4.6 μm
图 4 工作波长4.6 μm下,量子效率和响应度随吸收层 (a) 厚度和(b) 长度的变化
Figures

Fig. 5 The variation of NEP with the (a) thickness and (b) length of the absorption layer at 4.6 μm
图 5 工作波长4.6 μm下,噪声等效功率随吸收层 (a) 厚度和(b) 长度的变化
We found that a waveguide detector with an absorption layer length of 50 μm and a thickness of 0.3 μm has the lowest NEP at 0.39, with 68.9% quantum efficiency and 2.55 A/W responsivity. The methodology for calculating the propagation of optical power along the waveguide and its coupling into the integrated detector is shown in

Fig. 6 The variation of power with propagation length in waveguide detector (absorption layer with a length of 200 μm, a thickness of 0.3 μm) after 20 μm propagation in the waveguide
图6 光沿波导传播 20 μm 后耦合到的波导探测器(吸收层长 200 μm 、厚 0.3 μm)内,功率随传播长度的变化
This paper introduces a novel design for a mid-infrared waveguide utilizing heavily doped InAs and GaAs0.09Sb0.91 materials. The transmission loss within the wavelength range of 3-5 μm is consistently below -1 dB/cm, with a loss of -0.67 dB/cm at 4.6 μm. This waveguide not only matches the current mainstream silicon-based waveguide in terms of performance, but also offers the advantage of easier integration with high-performance Ⅲ-V group semiconductor detectors. Based on the waveguide provided, an integrated InAs/GaAs0.09Sb0.91 type-II superlattice detector is implemented, with an absorption layer length of 50 μm and a thickness of 0.3 μm. At 4.6 μm, the quantum efficiency is 68.9%, the responsivity is 2.55 A/W, and NEP is 0.39. With the new type-II superlattice material and long absorption distance, a significant enhancement in quantum efficiency has been achieved, resulting in a response rate more than twice that of most currently available mid-infrared detectors. At the same time, it has been observed that the dark current diminishes as the cascade order of the absorption region increases. Consequently, the NEP of the detector in question is smaller compared to that of conventional mid-infrared detectors. We conducted simulations to evaluate the impact of structural parameters of the absorption layer on quantum efficiency. Mathematical modeling was subsequently utilized to calculate the responsivity, dark current, and NEP of the integrated device. An analysis of the impacts of various structural parameters is provided. The simulations presented in this study propose a novel concept for mid-infrared waveguide-integrated detectors. The findings provide reference data and theoretical foundations for subsequent experimental designs.
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