In this chapter, our works on the developments of wavelength-extended InGaAs photodetectors with cutoff wavelength >1.7 μm are reviewed. Various InGaAs/InAlAs p-i-n heterojunction structures have been grown on InP and GaAs substrates by gas source molecular beam epitaxy, some details on the InGaAs photodetector structures and the techniques of metamorphic buffer layer such as linearly, step, and one-step continuously InAlAs graded buffer, and dislocation restraint methods of compositional overshoot and digital alloy are introduced. The material characteristics and device properties were evaluated by atomic force microscopy, high-resolution X-ray diffraction and reciprocal space mapping, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and current-voltage measurements, etc. The results provide clues to the development of metamorphic device structures on lattice-mismatched material systems.
Part of the book: Epitaxy