GaN/AlGaN ultraviolet/infrared dual-band detector

Group III-V wide band gap materials are widely used in developing solar blind, radiation-hard, high speed optoelectronic devices. A device detecting both ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) simultaneously will be an important tool in fire fighting and for military and other applications. Here a heterojunction UV/IR dual-band detector, where the UV/IR detection is due to interband/intraband transitions in the Al0.026Ga0.974N barrier and GaN emitter, respectively, is reported. The UV threshold observed at 360 nm corresponds to the band gap of the Al0.026Ga0.974N barrier, and the IR response obtained in the range of 8-14 mu m is in good agreement with the free carrier absorption model. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.