Dark current model and characteristics of quantum dot infrared photodetectors

•A theoretical dark current model of QDIPs is developed.•The effect of the nonuniformity in size of dots on dark current is studied.•The influence of various parameters on dark current is studied.

Dark current of quantum dot photodetectors is one of the most important factors which affects the performance of the device. A theoretical dark current model of QDIPs is developed and presented in this paper. This model takes into account the influence of the distribution of activation energy in nanoscale mechanism due to the nonuniformity in size of quantum dots on dark current. The simulated results are in a good agreement with the experimental data, which shows the validity of the dark current model. Additionally, the influence of design parameters of QDIPs on dark current is also analyzed in the paper.