Progress On Mid-Infrared Optoelectronic Devices: Interband Cascade Lasers, Interband Cascade Detectors, And Resonant Tunneling Diodes

We present recent progress on novel mid-infrared (MIR) light emitters and detectors. Optimized heterostructure and high-quality crystal growth allow for room temperature operation of interband cascade lasers (ICLs) with lasing wavelengths lambda > 6 mu m. They employ asymmetric W-shaped optical quantum wells comprising highly strained layers of InAs/GaInSb/InAs with broken bandgap alignment. Furthermore, we discuss novel interband cascade detectors (ICDs) and resonant tunneling diode photodetectors (RTD-PDs) for MIR light detection. Different superlattice (SL) absorber design strategies for ICD cut-off wavelengths exceeding lambda >= 7.0 mu m are presented. SL absorbers ranging from standard InAs/GaSb SL to M-/W-shaped SL absorbers employing ternary barriers are compared.