Sensing
Nanoco’s HEATWAVE® quantum dots are specially designed for use in the sensor industry to extend the range of current CMOS Image Sensors out into the Near and Short-Wave Infra-Red range of wavelengths (NIR / SWIR).
Like all quantum dots, HEATWAVE® material can be tuned for specific absorption bands by adjusting the size of the particle, ranging from 900nm out to 1800nm and beyond, simply by applying a layer onto the surface of a CMOS Image Sensor (CIS).
Extending this range allows the sensors to maintain the small pixel size of CMOS Image Sensors compared to other expensive technology in the NIR/SWIR regions, allowing for higher resolution camera devices at a much cheaper cost. In addition, HEATWAVE® material maintains the device sensitivity in the visible part of the spectrum, allowing devices which can readily switch between visible and non-visible light detection.
Device stack illustration
Advantages of Quantum Dots
- Direct integration with silicon CMOS technology
- More sensitive, thinner, lower power sensors
- Inexpensive alternative to InGaAs technology
- Expand working dynamic range of CMOS devices
- QD absorption can be tuned to match to gaps in solar spectrum
Materials Sets – Wavelengths, μm
