HgSe Colloidal Quantum Dot Detectors for Low-Cost MWIR Focal Plane Arrays

Currently, a major technology gap exists for low-cost, large format uncooled imagers capable of operating at midwave infrared (MWIR) wavelengths. Freedom Photonics and team propose to address this gap through the use of Hg-based colloidal quantum dots, whose solution-processing techniques offer advantages in reducing hybridization complexity and cost over their bulk epitaxial counterparts. The goals of this Phase I effort are to (i) develop detector and materials models to determine the feasibility of the technical approach, (ii) perform simplified materials synthesis and fabrication demonstrations, (iii) strategize integration and address hybridization process scalability, and (iv) develop test and characterization procedures and setups for use in a Phase II effort. Applications of this technology span next-generation Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems, night vision, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR).