SBIR Phase I: Single broadband detector from visible to near infrared using the spin Seebeck effect

SBIR第一阶段项目的更广泛影响将为医疗领域提供一个广泛的响应检测器，能够与更便宜的疾病诊断工具搭配使用，以改善医疗保健。目前，还没有一种商用的宽带探测器可以捕获可见光和近红外光。第一阶段的SBIR工作将导致一种先进的探测器，能够跨越这个光范围，并满足这一未得到满足的需求。作为一种商业产品，该探测器可以用于包括无人驾驶汽车、医疗领域在内的多个商业领域，以及国家的国防和安全。例如，在医学领域，组织穿透的理想光是在可见光和近红外之间。在该项目中开发的探测器将允许对人体进行光学扫描以进行疾病诊断。与昂贵的核磁共振技术和导致辐射照射的高能量源(如x射线)相比，光学扫描将提供一种更便宜、更安全的替代方案。全球医学成像市场的规模目前价值160亿美元，拟议的工作将帮助农村地区的医疗服务获得光学诊断服务。基于半导体的探测器仅限于吸收能量等于或略大于半导体电子带隙的光子。因此，目前还没有一种商业上可用的检测器可以跨越400-2200 nm的快速检测。该项目的预期结果是一个单一的宽带探测器，基于量子自旋塞贝克效应产生自旋电流，可以跨越400-2200 nm，具有平坦的量子效率和高响应时间。受专利保护的探测器的量子效率(QE)几乎比基于半导体的探测器低三个数量级，该项目的最大部分致力于将量子效率提高到商业水平。该项目将完成以下目标：1)证明将量子效率提高两个数量级的可行性，2)制造读出电路板，3)通过构建台式工作原型来展示探测器的能力，4)设计将在第二阶段建造的紧凑型原型。作为一种商业产品，该探测器可以用于无人驾驶车辆、医疗领域，以及国家的国防和安全。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this SBIR Phase I project will provide the medical field with a broad response detector capable of pairing with cheaper disease diagnostic tools for improved healthcare. Currently, there is not a commercially available broadband detector that can capture visible light and near infrared light. The Phase I SBIR effort will lead to an advanced detector capable of spanning this light range and fulfilling this unmet need. As a commercial product, this detector can be used in multiple commercial sectors including unmanned vehicles, the medical field, and for the defense and security of the nation. For example, in the medical field the ideal light for tissue penetration is between visible and near infrared. The detector developed in this project would permit optical scans of human bodies for disease diagnosis. The optical scan will provide a cheaper and safer alternative in comparison to expensive MRI technology and high-energy sources, such as x-rays, that result in radiological exposure. The size of the global medical imaging market is currently valued at $16 billion and the proposed work would help healthcare services in rural areas have access to optical diagnosing services.Semiconductor-based detectors are limited to absorbing photons whose energy is equal to or slightly greater than the electronic band gap of the semiconductor. As a result, there is not a commercially available detector that can span 400-2200nm with fast detection. The expected outcome of this project is a single broadband detector, based off of the quantum spin Seebeck effect to generate a spin current, that can span 400-2200nm with a flat quantum efficiency and a high response time. The quantum efficiency (QE) of the patent-protected detector is almost three orders of magnitude lower than semiconductor-based detectors and the largest portion of the project is devoted to improving the QE to commercial levels. The project will accomplish the following goals: 1) prove the feasibility of increasing the quantum efficiency by two orders of magnitude, 2) make a readout circuit board, 3) show detector capabilities through building a benchtop-working prototype, and 4) design a compact prototype to be built during Phase II. As a commercial product, this detector can be used in unmanned vehicles, in the medical field, and for the defense and security of the nation.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.