AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Electronic Materials and Processing Division Monday Sessions
       Session EM1-MoA

Paper EM1-MoA11
Solution Processed Quantum Dots for Infrared Imaging

Monday, October 31, 2011, 5:20 pm, Room 209

Session: Group III-Nitrides and Hybrid Devices
Presenter: Jay Lewis, RTI International
Authors: J. Lewis, RTI International
E.J.D. Klem, RTI International
C. Gregory, RTI International
G. Cunningham, RTI International
D. Temple, RTI International
Correspondent: Click to Email
While InGaAs-based focal plane arrays (FPAs) provide excellent detectivity and low noise for short wave infrared (SWIR) imaging applications, wider scale adoption of systems capable of working in this spectral range are limited by high costs, limited spectral response, and costly integration with Si readout circuits (ROICs). RTI has demonstrated a novel photodiode technology based on a heterojunction between IR-absorbing, solution-processed PbS colloidal quantum dots (CQD) and C60 fullerenes that can overcome these limitations of InGaAs FPAs. We have fabricated devices with quantum efficiencies exceeding 50%, and detectivities greater than 1012 Jones, that are competitive with the performance of InGaAs photodiodes. Dark currents of ~2 nA/cm2 were measured at temperatures compatible with solid state cooling. Additionally, by processing these devices entirely at room temperature we find them to be compatible with monolithic integration onto ROICs, thereby removing any limitation on device size. We will show early efforts towards demonstrating a direct integration of this sensor technology onto a Si ROIC IC and describe a path towards fabricating sensors sensitive from the visible to 1700 nm at a cost comparable to that of CMOS based devices. This combination of high performance, dramatic cost reduction, and multispectral sensitivity is ideally suited to expand the use of SWIR imaging in current applications, as well as to address applications which require a multispectral sensitivity not met by existing technologies.