Complementary barrier infrared detector (CBIRD)

1. A detector comprising:

a p-type absorber region to generate electrons and holes in response to electromagnetic radiation;

a unipolar hole barrier region having inner and outer ends and disposed such that the inner end is positioned adjacent to the absorber region;

a first n-type contact region disposed adjacent to the outer end of the hole barrier comprising a semiconductor material that allows the un-impeded flow of minority carriers from the absorber region;

a unipolar electron barrier region having inner and outer ends and disposed such that the inner end is positioned adjacent to the absorber region; and

a second contact region disposed adjacent to the outer end of the electron barrier, comprising a semiconductor material that allows the un-impeded flow of majority carriers from the absorber region

wherein the absorber region, the unipolar hole barrier region and the unipolar electron barrier region are all substantially lattice-matched to a semiconductor substrate; and

wherein the energy band gap of the barriers between the absorber and the contacts are selected such that the undesirable generation-recombination (G-R) dark current produced through the Shockley-Read-Hail (SRH) processes is reduced.

2. The detector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the absorber region, the hole barrier region, and the electron barrier region are selected from the group consisting of a bulk semiconductor and a superlattice semiconductor.

3. The detector as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the absorber region comprises an InAs/GaSb superlattice semiconductor.

4. The detector as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the hole barrier region comprises an InAs/AlSb superlattice semiconductor.

5. The detector as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the electron barrier region comprises an InAs/GaSb superlattice semiconductor.

6. The detector as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the absorber region is a 600 period (44 Å, 21 Å) superlattice semiconductor.

7. The detector as set forth in claim 6 , wherein the absorber region is a 600 period (44 Å, 21 Å) superlattice, the hole barrier region is an 80 period (46 Å, 12 Å) superlattice, and the electron barrier region is a 60 period (22 Å, 21 Å) superlattice.

8. The detector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first contact region has a wider band gap than that of the absorber region.

9. The detector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the electron barrier region comprises a p-type doped semiconductor.

10. The detector as set forth in claim 9 , wherein the hole barrier region comprises an n-type doped semiconductor, and the absorber region comprises a p-typed doped semiconductor.

11. The detector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation is infrared.

12. The detector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first n-type contact is formed by the unipolar hole barrier.

13. The detector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the second contact is a p-type contact.

14. The detector as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the second contact is an n-type contact in a broken gap alignment to the electron barrier.

15. A detector comprising:

an n-type absorber region to generate electrons and holes in response to electromagnetic radiation;

a unipolar electron barrier region having inner and outer ends and disposed such that the inner end is positioned adjacent to the absorber region;

a first p-type contact region disposed adjacent to the outer end of the electron barrier, comprising a semiconductor material that allows the un-impeded flow of minority carriers from the absorber region;

a unipolar hole barrier region having inner and outer ends and disposed such that the inner end is positioned adjacent to the absorber region; and

a second contact region disposed adjacent to the outer end of the hole barrier, comprising a semiconductor material that allows the un-impeded flow of majority carriers from the absorber region;

wherein the absorber region, the unipolar hole barrier region and the unipolar electron barrier region are all substantially lattice-matched to a semiconductor substrate; and

wherein the energy band gap of the barriers between the absorber and the contacts are selected such that the undesirable generation-recombination (G-R) dark current produced through the Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) processes is reduced.