Quantum cascade detectors for very long wave infrared detection

A high responsivity GaAs/AlGaAs quantum cascade detector is demonstrated at a wavelength of 15 mu m. The quantum design is optimized for negative bias operation, so that the capture of photoexcited electrons back to the fundamental level is minimized. The detectivity of the detector presented here reaches 1.1x10(12) Jones at 25 K for an applied bias of -0.6 V.