PFI-TT: Concentrating Photodetector Chips for Next-Generation Optical Communication, Sensing, and Imaging Systems

The broader commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project lies in the integration of an ultra-fast light detector system with an innovative light concentration technology in very compact sensing and imaging systems. The developed system will have enhanced light detector sensitivity, speed, and detection efficiency by reducing the noise, crosstalk, size, and cost. The outcomes of this project have the potential to deeply impact various industries, such as healthcare, environmental monitoring, and communications, by enabling improved sensitivity to capture even the faintest light signals and facilitating real-time applications like autonomous driving and high-speed imaging. Moreover, the project's commercial viability is notable, as the proposed technology will offer enhanced performance and cost-effectiveness compared to existing solutions. To achieve these goals, a collaborative team consisting of a PI, a postdoctoral scientist, a graduate student, and an undergraduate student will receive training alongside a technology commercialization expert. The team will focus on developing proof-of-concept prototypes using different semiconductor systems and evaluating their performance in practical systems. The proposed project aims to address the challenges associated with manufacturing highly sensitive photodetector arrays used in emerging technologies such as LiDAR, optical communications, and medical and agricultural imaging. Each pixel in a detector array contains a detector, along with control circuits and other signal-processing elements. This leaves only a fraction of each pixel available for capturing the incoming light, leading to reduced detection efficiency. The proposed approach will increase the photon collection capability by guiding the photons towards the detector region from the dead zone outside the detectors. This will result in increased absorption efficiency and reduced interference between individual detectors. This project will also design an array of photodetectors with unique and distinct responses in each detector element under identical illumination. This will be achieved by integrating surface nanostructures with varying dimensions, periodicity, and shapes. Such capabilities allow ultra-miniaturized imaging systems in silicon for reconstructive computational imaging without the need for bulky components. This research has the potential to significantly improve the performance and efficiency of photodetector arrays, enabling advancements in various fields where high sensitivity and miniaturization are crucial. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.