10 LEVINE, B.F., ZUSSMAN, A., GUNAPALA, S.D., ASOM. M.T., K U O , J M .

,
HOBSON, W.S., SHEN, V.O., ABBOTT. R.R., and HSEIH, S.J.: ‘Photoexcited
escape probability, optical gain, and noise in quantum well infrared
photodetectors’, J. Appl. Phys., 1992, 72, pp. 44294443
I 1 LILT, H C : ‘Photoconductive gain mechanism of quantum-well
intersubband infrared detectors’, Appl. P h p Lett.. 1992, 60. pp.
1507-1 509

Optimum design of a Salisbury screen radar

absorber
B. Chambers

-5 -3 -1 3 5 Indexing rwms: Radar. Electromagnetic wuvc absorption

bias voltage. V
Fig. 3 Dark current uguinsr ~oltageut 7 7 K
Cunclusim: We have demonstrated a high performance two-colour
infra-red detectox in a GaAs/AIGaAs system with peak sensitivi-
ties at 3.9 and 8 . l p m The responsivity of the detector is 0.4A/W
at 8.1pa and 3 5 m m at 3.9pm. The detectivities of the 3 . 9 ~
and the s . 1 bandsare
~ 7.5 x IOy and 1.5 x 1 0 ’ O ~ H z ~ ~ These
*/W.
values are the best reported results for a two-colour quantum well
infra-red photodetector with peak sensitivities in the spectral
regions of 3-5 and 8-12pm.
Acknowledgment: We would h i e to thank L J. Cheng for device
bonding. This work was partially mpported by the National SCi-
ence Council of the Republic of CCbina, under contract number
N,SC83-0404-J309-092.
The author derives expressions for the sheet resistance of a
Salisbury screen radar absorber which will yield the maximum
bandwidth for a specified level of reflectivity performance, angle
of incidence and polarisation. Design curves are also given which
relate the maximum absorber bandwidth, reflectivity performance
and spacer dielectric constant.
Since it was first described some SO years ago, the conventional
(i.e. passive) Salisbury screen radar absorber has been examined
by a number of authors, [l, 21, but it has been superseded for
many applications because of its inherently small reflectivity-band-
width product. However, recent advances in materials technology
which point to the feasibility of practical dynamically adaptive
radar absorbing materials (DARAMs) [3, 41, have led to a
renewed interest in the Salisbury screen because of its physical and
electrical simplicity. A search of the literature, however, revealed a
surprising lack of detailed information concerning the optimum
design of the Salisbury screen and hence this is considered below.

0 TEE 1994 23 MUb lYY4 RsklIDl

Elecmnicr Letters Online No 19940866
K t Tsaq C P Lee, J S Tsang and H. R chen (Deprinmenr of
Electronics Engineering und WstiOdte ~f Gtecnoaics. Mutima1 Ckiuo
Tung Unruersiry HsmChu, mS0. Tawan Rqubk uf Chm)
I Id
a ground plane
References
Or
I BETHEA.CG., L 6 ( i Z h 1 6 B . F , A S O l K M . T . , L E . I B ~ ~ , , R . E . , S T A Y T . I . W . ,
GOLOGOV6KY. LG., MORGAN R A . BLACKWELL. J,.D., and
PARRISM, w.J.; ‘Long wavelength infrared 128 X 128 AITGa,,As/
GaAs quantum well infrared camera and imaging system’. IEEE
Trans., 1993, E M , pp. 1957.-1963
2 GR,&v&,1. SHAKOURJ. A., KUZE. N.. and YARI\.A.: ’Voltage-
controlled tunable GaAsIAIGaAs multistack quantum well infrared
detector’. Appl. Phyh.: Letr.. 1992, 60, pp. 2362.-2364
3 KOCK. ,A.. GC‘RMIK. E.. ABSTRECIER..G.. BQHM. G.. WALTHER. \I and
WEIMAYNLG.: ‘Double wd.VeletIgth selecfive GaAdAlGaAs infrared
device’: Appl. Ph.ps Lett:, 1992, 60. pp. 2011-2013
.
4 MARlWNRT, E;. KOSENCHER, E:, LUK. F BOIS,PH., . a d CUSTkRD. E :
’Switchable.bicolor (5.5-9 Om)infrared detector using asymmetric
GaAsMlGaAs multiquantum well’. Appl. Phys. Lelr.. 1992. 61, pp.
246-248
5 KHENG, K., RAMSTEINER. M.. S W M H D P Z . H., RAISTQN,J.D., W M S . F,
and KOIDL, P.: ‘Two-color GaAdA1Ga)As quantum well infrared B frequency ,GHz
detector with voltage3unable spectral sensltivity at 3-5 and &-
12pm’, Appl. Phjv. Lett., 1992, 61, pp. 666-668 Fig. 1 Geometry of Suiishmy S F P T ~ ”and
~ r).pical Salisbuql screen per-
6. WANG. Y.H., LI, s.s.. and HO, P: ‘Photovoltaic and photoconductive fommunce
dual-mode. operation Ga.4~ quantum wen infrared photodetector
for two-band detection’, Appl. Phjw Lett.. 1993, 62, pp. 93- 95 U Geometry
6 Performance : R, 35,OW 01,E, = I , d = S.Smm
7 TSAI, K.L.. CHANC.K.H., LEE. C.P. HUAYG. KF., TSANG. I.s., and
CHPN, H.R.; ‘Two-color infrared photodetector msing GaAsiAlGaAs
The basic geometry of the Salisbury Screen is shown in Fig. l a
and strained InGaAdA1GaA.s multiquantum wells’. Appl Phps.
and a typical reflectivity-frequency perfarmance plot is shown in
Left., 1993, 62. pp. 35W-3506
Fig. Ib. The electrical thickness of the spacer, v!&,d>is equal to a
8 LIU, H c,, LI. I., THOMPSON, I.R.. WASILEWSKI. Z.R, BUCHAYAN. M., and
SIMMONS. I.G.: ‘Multicolor voltage-tunable panturn well infrared
quarter-wavelength at the absorber centre frequency,f,. The start-
photodetector’, IEEE Electron DPY.Len., 1993, 14. pp. 566-568 ing point for the absorber design is the specification of the
9 SCHNEIDER. W.,FUCHS, F , DISCHLER. B., RALSTON, J.D., and KOIDL. P.: required reflectivity performance, r, in dB. Hence
‘Intersubhand absorption and infrared photodetection at 3.5 aad T = 10 logl0(pp”) (1)
4 . 2 in ~ GaAs quantum wells’, Appl. Phys. Lem., 1991, 58, pp.
2234~2236 where p is the complex (voltage) reflection coefficient seen by a

ELECTRONICS LETTERS 4th August 1994 Vol. 30 No. 16 1353

wave incident on the resistive sheet of the absorber and * indicates
a complex conjugate. From transmission line theory, p is defined
by

where, for normal incidence 10

Yo@
= - (14)
Y,,= G - J Y cot 3d (3) cos 8
For perpendicular polarisation

(151
Hence, from eqns. 2 and 3
(Yo - G)' + Y' cot' ,(jd
PP* =
(Yo+ G)' + Y' Cot' /3d
(5)

Eqn. 5 can be rearranged to give an expression for the frequency.

f , at which the reflectivity level has risen from its lowest value at
the absorber centre frequency,/;, to that specified in eqn. 1, i.e. r. 2-0 r
Hence

and the normalised bandwidth over which the specified reflectivity

level is held is given by

For given values of reflectivity r and spacer electrical thickness

d e , , the value of sheet conductance G which maximises B may be
found by differentiating eqn. 6 with respect to G and setting djldG
= 0. This leads to
(91
The actual bandwidth, E , can then be found by substituting eqns.
6, 7 and 9 into eqn. 8. It should be noted that eqn. 9 is independ-
ent of the spacer dielectric constant, E,. and hence the curve for
R,,",, shown in Fig. 2u, is applicable to all normal incidence
designs. The maximum bandwidth, B, however, is reduced when e,
> 1, as will be shown later.
I
I:
100
200
reflectivity .d B ImB
Fig. 3 Variation of opfimum normalirpd bandwidth for specified reflec-
tivity level spacer permittivity
Eqns. 12 and 15, rewritten in terms of R,,,, are plotted in Fig. 2b
for reflectivities of -10 and -20dB and angles of incidence between
0" and 70". Fig. 3 shows the variation of normalised absorber
bandwidth for a specified reflectivity level and spacer permittivity.
These curves, which are independent of angle of incidence and
polarisation, confirm that when E, > 1 the absorber bandwidth is
reduced, as expected. It should be noted, however, that a t a given
reflectivity level and angle of incidence the absorber cannot have
equal bandwidths for both polarisations simultaneously (because
different values of Cop,are required). This can only be achieved
with a multilayer configuration such as the JaUmdnn absorber [5].

a reflectivity .dB b angle ofmcidence.deg 0 IEE 1994 7 June I994

rn
E1rctronic.r Lefrers Online No: 19940896
Fig. 2 Sheet resistance for maximum bandwidth at .specified reflectivity
level and normal incidence, and variution of sheet resistance for m m i - B. Chambers (Dept. of Electronic and Elecfrical Engineering, University
mum bundwith with angle of inridenre and polarisation of She/J'ield, Mappin St, Sheflield, SI 330, United Kingdom)
a Sheet resistance for maximum bandwidth
h Variation of sheet resistance
References
(il r = -10dB. Darallel
(ii) r = -20dB, parallel 1 w.D., and KRICHBAUM. c.D.:
RUCK, G T . , BARRICK, D E . , STUART.
(iii) r = -IOdB, perpendicular 'Radar cross-section handbook. Vol. 2' (Plenum, New York, 1970)
(iv) r = -20dB. perpendicular
2 ANTE. R L., and MCCORMACK. M.T.: 'Reflection properties of the
The above discussion may be generalised to include the effects Salisbury screen', IEEE Trans.. 1988, AP-36, pp. 1443-1454
of oblique incidence. Thus eqns. 6 and 7 become 3 CHAMBERS, B., WONG, T.C.P, ANDERSON, A.P., and WRIGHT, P.v.!
C 'Characterisation and modelling of conducting polymer composites
fa = and their exploitation in microwave absorbing materials'. Proc.
2 T t l J m 15th Antenna Measurement Techniques Association Symp., 4 8
October 1993, (Dallas, USA), pp. 413418
x tiin-'
Y31 - PP') 4 CHAMBERS. B., and TBNNANT, A.: 'The optimised design of wide-
+ Gopte)'
PP*(YOS - (Yoe - Gapta)' band Jaumann radar absorbing materials using a genetic
(10) algorithm', submitted to IEEE Trans.. Antennas and Propagation
and 5 CHAMBERS, E., and TENNANT, A.: 'Application Of genetic algorithms
to the optimisation of wideband Jaumann radar absorbers for
(11) normal and oblique incidence'. To be presented at 16th Antenna
fd = 4dJ+. E - SlnL6'
Measurement Techniques Association Symp.. 3--7 October 1994,
where 0 is the angle of incidence. For parallel polarisation Long Beach, USA

1354 ELECTRONICS LE7TERS 4th August 7994 Vol. 30 No. 16