The effect of irradiation on the optical and photoelectric properties of structures based on IR-sensitive GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells

This paper describes how the dark current, the photocurrent, the photoconductivity spectrum, and the IR absorption spectrum at intersubband transitions vary in structures based on GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells as a result of bombardment by 3.5-MeV. The following effects are observed as the irradiation dose increases: (1) the dark current decreases, (2) the ratio of the photocurrent to the dark current increases, (3) the intersubband absorption decreases, and (4) the shape of the photosensitivity spectrum remains constant, with a maximum at a wavelength of 8.5 μm. The observed phenomena, which are based on the introduction of compensating centers in the wells and barriers during irradiation, are explained qualitatively. It is proposed that the radiation effects be used for local and general correction of the parameters of multielement photodetectors with quantum wells