Optical properties of (GaAs/InAs)–GaAsySb1−y digital alloy superlattices in the short-wavelength infrared region calculated by an sp3d5s* tight-binding method

GaxIn1−xAs–GaAsySb1−y type-II superlattices (T2SLs) have recently received broad attention as an InP-based optical absorption layer in short-wavelength infrared detectors. However, the cut-off wavelength of a GaInAs–GaAsSb T2SL detector is ordinarily around 2.4 µm at room temperature. This paper proposes extending the cut-off wavelength using a GaAs/InAs digital alloy instead of a GaxIn1-xAs random alloy layer in a GaxIn1−xAs–GaAsySb1−y T2SL. The calculation result employing an empirical sp3d5s* tight-binding method has revealed that a (GaAs/InAs)–GaAsySb1−y digital alloy T2SL on an InP substrate possesses a band gap corresponding to a wavelength of 2.9 µm which is over 0.4 µm longer than that in a conventional GaInAs–GaAsSb T2SL at a temperature of 200 K. Figured optical absorption coefficient spectra of certain digital alloy T2SLs, e.g., a [(GaAs)4(InAs)4]2–(GaAs0.53Sb0.47)17 structure, present a considerable polarization-direction dependence—originating from the asymmetrical shape of the wavefunction in the quantum well. Yet, by altering the atomic layer configuration in the growth direction of the digital alloy T2SL to have such a quantum well structure with a reflection symmetry as in [(GaAs)4(InAs)4]2(GaAs)3–(GaAs0.45Sb0.55)17, the polarization dependency can be dramatically decreased due to the symmetry improvement of the wavefunction.