8” Wafer-Processible INFIQ® QD Ink Development for SWIR QD Photodetector Manufacturing

红外（IR）光的光电检测用于许多行业，其中其独特的感测和成像特性显著地增加了可见光之外的能力。目前的市场包括电信、监控、光谱、热成像和医疗保健，消费者/移动的设备、自动驾驶汽车和新型医疗诊断应用的需求不断增长。目前的铟镓砷（InGaAs）短波红外（SWIR）传感器技术由于其复杂的生产工艺和低产量限制了其在成本不太重要的领域的应用，因此生产率低且成本极高。基于胶体量子点（CQD）的红外光电探测器显示出卓越的前景，将颠覆现有的红外技术，结合波长可调谐性，高响应度和溶液可加工性。目前的主导技术使用硫化铅（PbS）纳米颗粒。PbS CQD器件使用涉及多达15层的低效逐层沉积工艺。每一层都需要多次化学处理和清洗步骤，使用大量化学品和溶剂，成本高，效率低（材料浪费高），必须安全处理。该项目将通过开发新型INFIQ（r）CQD油墨来解决所有这些问题，该油墨可实现简单的一步沉积工艺，用于SWIR光电探测器的大规模生产。Quantum Science Ltd（QS）拥有专有工艺和技术，可以制造可扩展的SWIR CQD和墨水，展示高性能的光电探测。目前的挑战是提供大规模的CQD油墨，以便通过简单和低成本的工业涂布方法来采用。在该可行性项目中，INFIQ（r）CQD将通过放大方法生产，然后在同一反应器中进行QS专有的配体交换过程，而无需对合成的QD进行纯化。QD油墨由预先筛选的配体、溶剂和添加剂制成，在设备中表现出领先的性能，将大规模生产。在8英寸硅晶片上旋涂所开发的QD油墨将为油墨制造工艺开发提供反馈。使用具有世界领先性能的QD油墨在硅片上制造的CQD光电二极管将为SWIR光电二极管的大规模生产和下一阶段的商业化提供可行的解决方案。

Photodetection of infrared (IR) light is used in many industries where its unique properties of sensing and imaging add significant capabilities beyond those of visible light. Current markets include telecommunications, surveillance, spectroscopy, thermal imaging, and healthcare, with growing demand in applications for consumer/mobile devices, autonomous vehicles, and novel medical diagnostics. The current indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensor technology has low productivity and extremely high costs, due to its complex production processes and low yields limiting its applications to those where cost is less critical.Colloidal quantum dot (CQD)-based IR photodetectors have shown exceptional promise to disrupt the incumbent IR technologies combining wavelength tunability, high responsivity and solution processability. The current dominant technology uses lead sulphide (PbS) nanoparticles. The PbS CQD devices use inefficient layer-by-layer deposition processes involving up to 15 layers. Each layer requires multiple chemical treatments and washing steps, using large volumes of chemicals and solvents that are costly, inefficient (high material wastage) and must be disposed of safely.This project will solve all these problems by developing novel INFIQ(r) CQD inks enabling a simple one-step deposition process for the mass production of SWIR photodetectors. Quantum Science Ltd (QS) has proprietary processes and the know-how to make scalable SWIR CQDs and inks demonstrating high performance for photodetection. The current challenge is to provide large scale CQD inks ready to be adopted by simple and low-cost industrial coating methods.In this feasibility project the INFIQ(r) CQDs will be produced by scaleup methods, followed by QS proprietary ligand exchange processes carried out in the same reactor without purification of the synthesised QDs. The QD inks from pre-screened ligands, solvents and additives which demonstrate leading performance in devices will be manufactured on a large scale. Spin coating of the developed QD inks on 8-inch silicon wafers will provide feedback for the ink manufacturing process development. The CQD photodiodes fabricated on silicon wafers using the QD inks with world leading performance will give a feasible solution for the mass production of SWIR photodiodes and next stage of commercialisation.