PHOTOSENSITIVE STRUCTURE AND SELECTIVE PHOTODETECTOR BASED THEREON Russian patent published in 2014 - IPC H01L31/101 B82B1/00 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: in a photosensitive structure, which is a multilayer semiconductor heterostructure which is sensitive to terahertz radiation at effective photocurrent temperature, said heterostructure having a quantum well in form of a layer of a narrow-bandgap solid solution containing Hg and Te and enclosed between barrier layers of a wide-bandgap three-component solid solution of Cd_yHg_1-yTe, where y is a value preferably in the range from 65% to 72%, the narrow-bandgap quantum well is formed from a three-component solid solution of Hg_1-xCd_xTe with content of Cd defined by a value x in the range from 4% to 12%, wherein the width of the quantum well is selected for the given terahertz frequency subrange of the received radiation at temperature of 4.2 K or 77 K depending on content of Cd in accordance with table 1 given in the claim. When the disclosed photosensitive structure is made as a desired terahertz photodetector - selective photodetector, in the latter, having a terahertz radiation sensitive photodetector line, which is in form of saeries-arranged areas of a multilayer semiconductor heterostructure having effective photosensitivity in different terahertz subranges at temperature of 4.2 K or 77 K, said areas having a working detector layer on a quantum well formed from a narrow-bandgap three-component solid solution of Hg1.xCdxTe and enclosed between barrier layers of a wide-bandgap three-component solid solution of Cd_yHg_1-yTe, where y is a value preferably in the range from 65% to 72%, and a means of maintaining said temperature, for areas of the multilayer semiconductor heterostructure with selected terahertz frequency subranges of the received radiation, given by the following intervals of energy values of the received radiation ħω: 8-16, 16-24, 24-32, 32-40, 40-48, 48-56, 56-64 meV, the width of the quantum well is equal to 11 nm with content of Cd in the working detector layer on the quantum well - Hg_1-xCd_xTe on series-distributed areas of the photodetector line in accordance with said terahertz frequency subranges of the received radiation at temperature of 4.2 K, defined by the following intervals of values x, respectively: 7.1-7.9, 7.9-8.7,8.7-9.4,9.4-10.1, 10.1-10.9, 10.9-11.5, 11.5-12.2%, or at temperature of 77 K, defined by the following intervals of values x, respectively: 5-5.9, 5.9-6.7, 6.7-7.5, 7.5-8.3, 8.3-9.0, 9.0-9.8, 9.8-10.5%.

EFFECT: invention improves manufacturability of desired terahertz photodetectors by creating structural conditions for operation of the photodetector element on the level of stable high sensitivity in different subranges in a wide frequency range of the terahertz received radiation depending on the width of the quantum well.

3 cl, 2 tbl, 2 dwg