A hot‐carrier‐temperature model is proposed in this letter to calculate the dark current of ap‐type GaAs/Ga1−xAlxAs quantum‐well infrared photodetector. Hot‐carrier effects are incorporated inside both the mobile‐carrier concentration (by a two‐carrier‐temperature energy distribution) and the drift velocity. Results of our calculations are in good agreement with experimental data at four different lattice temperatures and for the entire measured range of applied electric field. The increase of mobile‐carrier concentration at a hot‐carrier temperature is found to be the prevalent cause of the rise in dark current at higher applied electric fields. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.