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

PFI-TT：用于下一代光通信、传感和成像系统的聚光光电探测器芯片

• 批准号: 2329884
• 负责人: M Saif Islam
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2329884&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; TT; Concentrating; Photodetector; Chips

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.

这种创新合作伙伴关系的更广泛的商业潜力 - 技术翻译（PFI-TT）项目在于将超快速光检测器系统与具有创新的光浓度技术集成在非常紧凑的传感和成像系统中。开发的系统将通过降低噪声，串扰，大小和成本来增强光检测器的灵敏度，速度和检测效率。 该项目的结果有可能通过启用提高灵敏度来捕获甚至最微弱的光信号并促进实时应用，例如自动驾驶和高速成像，从而有可能深层影响各种行业，例如医疗保健，环境监测和通信。此外，该项目的商业生存能力是值得注意的，因为与现有解决方案相比，拟议的技术将提供增强的性能和成本效益。为了实现这些目标，由PI，博士后科学家，研究生和本科生组成的协作团队将与技术商业化专家一起接受培训。该团队将专注于使用不同的半导体系统开发概念验证原型，并评估其在实用系统中的性能。该项目旨在解决与生产高度敏感的光电量阵列相关的挑战，例如LIDAR，光学通信，以及医疗和农业成像。检测器阵列中的每个像素都包含一个检测器，以及控制电路和其他信号处理元件。这仅留下每个像素的一部分，可用于捕获传入的光，从而降低了检测效率。提出的方法将通过从检测器外的死区引导光子向检测器区域引导光子收集能力。这将导致吸收效率提高和单个检测器之间的干扰降低。该项目还将在相同的照明下设计一系列具有独特和不同响应的光电探测器。这将通过将表面纳米结构集成具有不同尺寸，周期性和形状的表面纳米结构来实现。这样的功能允许硅中的超微小化成像系统进行重建计算成像，而无需笨重的组件。这项研究有可能显着提高光电探测器阵列的性能和效率，从而在高灵敏度和小型化至关重要的各个领域的进步。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛影响的审查标准来通过评估来通过评估来支持的。