We study the factors that determine photogenerated carriers and response wavelengths of photocurrents of long wavelength (similar to14 mum) quantum well (QW) infrared photodetectors (QWIPs). The material structures of QWIPs are first characterized by the photoluminescence measurements (PL). By calculating the density of photogenerated carriers in the continuum above the energy barriers using the PL calibrated QWIP structures, we have demonstrated that due to the sample quality, the photocarriers can be either in miniband states (Bloch states in the multiple quantum wells), or they transport from one quantum well to the next in the form of running waves. By including possible scattering processes at the QWIP working temperature to link the theoretically calculated photocarrier density with the experimentally measured photocurrent, it is shown that the width of the photocurrent peaks of 14 mum GaAs/AlGaAs QWIPs under investigation is determined by the optical phonon emissions of photocarriers. We have further calculated the densities of photocarriers in the QWIPs reported in the literature. It is shown that the Bloch wave boundary conditions are appropriate for QWIPs with narrow QWs, whereas running wave boundary conditions are appropriate for wide QWs. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics. References: 18
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