Nano Express
Magnetotransport in quantum cascade detectors: analyzing the current under illumination
1 Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain, Ecole Normale Supérieure CNRS (UMR 8551), 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
2 Laboratoire Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques, Université Denis Diderot - Paris 7, CNRS (UMR 7162), Bâtiment Condorcet, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France
3 Alcatel-Thales 3-5 lab, Route départementale 128, 91767 Palaiseau Cedex, France
Nanoscale Research Letters 2011, 6:206 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-6-206
Published: 9 March 2011Abstract
Photocurrent measurements have been performed on a quantum cascade detector structure under strong magnetic field applied parallel to the growth axis. The photocurrent shows oscillations as a function of B. In order to describe that behavior, we have developed a rate equation model. The interpretation of the experimental data supports the idea that an elastic scattering contribution plays a central role in the behavior of those structures. We present a calculation of electron lifetime versus magnetic field which suggests that impurities scattering in the active region is the limiting factor. These experiments lead to a better understanding of these complex structures and give key parameters to optimize them further.
