Strain-Compensated InGaAs/InAlAs Quantum Cascade Detector of 4.5 μm Operating at Room Temperature

We present a strain-compensated InP-based InGaAs/InAlAs photovoltaic quantum cascade detector grown by solid source molecular beam epitaxy. The detector is based on a vertical intersubband transition and electron transfer on a cascade of quantum levels which is designed to provide longitudinal optical phonon extraction stairs. By careful structure design and growth, the whole epilayer has a residual strain toward InP substrate of only -2.8× 10^-4. A clear narrow band detection spectrum centered at 4.5 μm has been observed above room temperature for a device with 200\times 200 ×μm² square mesa.