SBIR Phase I: Innovative Germanium-based Short Wavelength Infrared Image Sensors

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The broader impacts/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be widespread use of Short Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) imaging technology in a variety of industries. New Ge-based SWIR imaging sensor technology enables infrared imaging to move beyond niche industrial and scientific applications and enter mainstream commercial markets. The Ge-based SWIR sensors proposed here are low-power, high-resolution and dramatically lower cost. When incorporated into handheld devices, such as smartphones, SWIR image sensors may allow non-invasive, real-time biological monitoring. For example, they may enable diabetic patients bloodless glucose monitoring. Furthermore, these SWIR Image sensors can be utilized in diverse fields, including automotive safety and food safety inspection. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to develop high-resolution Ge (Germanium) based Short Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) image sensors. SWIR lights (800 nm to 1.8 µm) are invisible to the human eye, but they can provide invaluable information. Image sensors that detect SWIR lights enable night vision and sub-surface views of a variety of products and materials. However, current SWIR image sensors are made of a material called InGaAs, which is costly to create and has limitations in terms of resolution and power usage. To overcome these problems and bring the benefits of SWIR image sensors into our daily lives, a new method for producing SWIR image sensors has been invented. Improving the resolution of Ge-based SWIR image sensors to VGA (640x512) resolution while maintaining low noise level will dramatically advance SWIR imaging technology.