STTR Phase I: Advancing Beyond the Photodiode - Deep Sub-micron Pixels for Next-generation Image Sensors

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project centers on revolutionizing medical endoscopy. Advantages of minimally invasive surgery are becoming broadly appreciated. In particular, its effects on both the time and end-points of patient recovery are strong incentives to develop new, minimally invasive tools. Today, a broad range of complex surgeries allow for treatment of a wide variety of pathologies, yet there are still many procedures that are limited by the size and flexibility of the surgical visualization tools. A chip-on-the tip endoscope built around a new imaging sensor will dramatically expand the range of minimally invasive surgery by significantly reducing the size of the entire optical train. Smaller imaging devices with higher resolution will extend the reach of the surgeon to currently inaccessible areas of the body. Such a device will also give rise to increased scope maneuverability and allow the addition of other operating tools within the endoscope. This combination of improvements will enable more complicated procedures within challenging surgical corridors. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is aimed at developing the world?s smallest endoscopic cameras. Medical practitioners continuously push for smaller, smarter visualization tools. Existing imaging technologies are approaching fundamental barriers with pixel sizes hovering at one micron because noise increases as pixel size decreases for traditional pixel architectures. As a result, with the miniaturization of cameras there is a sharp decrease in image quality. This proposal investigates deep sub-micron imaging pixels that function using a novel mechanism where light drives transitions between ballistic and diffusive carrier transport. Reducing these image sensors to practice requires an understanding of the ballistic transport mechanisms that drive the devices and the feasibility of integrating deep sub-micron pixels with compatible supporting technologies. Computer simulations will be used to probe external and internal driving forces that affect carrier transport. Using this semiconductor technology, the size of the image sensor pixels can be shrunk to hundreds of nanometers, enabling a new class of ultra-thin ?chip-on-the tip? endoscopes that overcomes performance barriers of size, image quality and functionality.