SBIR Phase II: High Resolution Infrared Imager

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to leverage new materials technology to drive a revolution in infrared imaging. Silicon imagers are widely used, from supermarket scanners to the ultra-sensitive charge-coupled devices (CCDs) used in astronomy. Germanium is photo-sensitive over a wider spectrum, from visible to well into the infrared. Combining this new spectral capability with fine-line silicon manufacturing brings high resolution, high reliability and lower costs to infrared imaging, enabling new applications, especially in dentistry and medicine. Short-wave infrared (SWIR) imagers today using exotic materials have limited resolution and are too costly for widespread use. This SBIR Phase II project proposes to design a prototype silicon-imaging array for use with integrated germanium pixels. The proposed project has broad impact. The short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral range from 800 to 1600 nanometer (nm) holds considerable scientific and applied interest. The human eye does not focus wavelengths past 1.4 micron, so that infrared imaging using active illumination with bright flashes is possible without endangering safety. The most promising immediate application is dental imaging, where the transparency of tooth enamel at 1300 nm allows improved diagnostics through infrared imaging.