All-dielectric metasurface-coupled quantum well infrared photodetectors with enhanced responsivity
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1State Key Laboratory of Infrared Physics, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China;2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;3School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China;4School of Microelectronics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201899, China

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Supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB0580000, GJ0090406), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12393833, 12227901, U2241219, 12174416, 11991063), and the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (23JC1404100)

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    Abstract:

    Quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) are widely utilized in long-wave infrared detection applications, yet they are constrained by low quantum efficiency. Although metallic microcavities can enhance local coupling, achieving a field strength that perfectly coincides with the quantum well layers remains challenging, and such approaches are often incompatible with thick active regions. In this study, we developed an all-dielectric metasurface-coupled QWIP (MS-QWIP) to enhance device response. The metasurface features a square micropillar array etched directly into the 80-period GaAs/AlGaAs multi-quantum wells active region. By leveraging the guided-mode resonance effect, this structure excites a strong longitudinal electric field component, effectively satisfying the intersubband transition selection rule for enhanced absorption within the active region. Experimental results at 50 K and a 5 V bias show that the peak responsivity of the MS-QWIP reaches 545 mA/W, a twofold increase over a conventional 45° facet-coupled device. Furthermore, the blackbody responsivity is improved by approximately 1.6 times. Notably, the architecture also reduces the effective electrical area of the photosensitive element, thereby suppressing dark current. This work demonstrates that all-dielectric metasurfaces can significantly enhance the sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio of QWIPs.

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History
  • Received:March 01,2026
  • Revised:May 24,2026
  • Adopted:May 18,2026
  • Online: May 18,2026
  • Published:
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