ABSTRACT
Quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) technology has become increasingly mature as useful products are emerging around the world. QWIP focal plane array (FPA) cameras are used in a wide variety of settings to acquire high-resolution infrared imageries. Remarkably, the operation of the detector is entirely based on the nanometer material thickness. The small thickness creates one-dimensional particle-in-a-box quantization, enabling large infrared intersubband absorption in this material. The intersubband absorption is absent in the original host materials due to the conservation of momentum. In this chapter, we will discuss the current status of the QWIP technology and its associated nanoscience.
Since the initial demonstration of quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) in the late 1980s,
