High-performance optical detectors and imaging systems for emerging applications

在接下来的5年里，我们将积极开展先进、高灵敏度和高速的光电探测器和光学检测系统的研究计划，目标是在医学、生物、生物分子科学和化学方面的新兴应用。这将代表着当前研究的重大飞跃。它将在很大程度上利用现有的研究专业知识和前沿成果，利用优化的器件设计、电路和系统以及新兴的半导体探测器结构和材料，分别对新型光电探测器和成像系统进行建模、设计、制造和表征。我们还将利用现有的基于超低功耗CMOS集成电路的研究专业知识，为低成本、小型化的分析系统创造完全集成的基于硅的和基于混合化合物半导体的光学检测系统。这些系统将用于医学诊断测试、基于荧光的检测，以及检测各种气体污染物，如甲烷、氨、一氧化碳、二氧化碳和二氧化硫。这些混合或完全集成的系统将利用基于硅的光电探测器来实现新的单光子和像素配置，或者利用基于锑的光电探测器来实现量子点红外光电探测器。拟议的研究工作将分为两种主要材料类型-硅和化合物半导体。

Over the next 5 years, we will pursue an aggressive research program on advanced, high-sensitivity and high-speed photodetectors and optical detection systems targeted to emerging applications in medicine, biology, biomolecular sciences and chemistry. This will represent a major forward leap in current research. It will significantly leverage existing research expertise and leading edge results, to model, design, fabricate and characterize novel photodetectors and imaging systems using optimized device designs, circuits and systems, as well as emerging semiconductor detector structures and materials such as quantum dots and antimonides, respectively. We will also leverage existing research expertise in ultra-low-power CMOS-based integrated circuits to create fully integrated silicon-based and hybrid compound semiconductor-based optical detection systems for low-cost, miniaturized analytical systems. These systems will be used for diagnostic testing in medicine, for fluorescence-based detection, and for detecting various gaseous pollutants such as methane, ammonia, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide. These hybrid or fully integrated systems will utilize photodetectors based on silicon for new single-photon and pixel configurations, or on antimony for quantum-dot infrared photodetectors. The proposed research work will be divided along two major material types - silicon and compound semiconductors.