Résumé
Mid‐infrared (MIR) resonant tunneling diode (RTD) photodetectors based on a p‐type doped AlAsSb/GaSb double‐barrier quantum well (DBQW) are proposed and investigated for their optoelectronic transport properties. At room temperature, a distinct resonant tunneling current with a region of negative differential conductance is measured. The peak‐to‐valley current ratio (PVCR) is 1.51. To provide photosensitivity within the MIR spectral region, a lattice‐matched quaternary low‐bandgap GaInAsSb absorption layer with cutoff wavelength of λ = 2.77 μm is integrated near the DBQW. Under illumination with infrared light, photogenerated minority electrons within the absorption layer can drift toward the DBQW, where they accumulate and cause a shift of the current–voltage characteristics toward smaller bias voltages, which can be exploited to measure the incident MIR light power. In a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy experiment, the RTD photodetector is used to identify three distinct water absorption lines in the MIR close to λ = 2.61 μm. By adjusting the absorption layer doping concentration, the RTD quantum efficiency can be increased by a factor of 10, resulting in a sensitivity of S = 2.71 A W−1, which corresponds to an estimated multiplication factor of M = 8.6. Antimony‐based resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) are a promising alternative for mid‐infrared (MIR) photodetectors with gain at considerably low operation voltages. Their capability is demonstrated in a tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) experiment. The possibility to exploit hole transport by p‐type doping provides further advantages and can also be applied to alternative material systems such as GaAs or InP.