Uncooled Quantum Infrared Focal Plane Arrays

ZenoLeap LLC proposes to exploit its ongoing research and development of uncooled quantum infrared detectors, to enable the development of larger focal plane arrays (FPAs) based on this technology. This effort will build on ZenoLeap’s Phase I success in demonstrating high-speed quantum dots/graphene van der Waals heterostructures photodetectors with uncooled figure-of-merit detectivity D* up to 2.5 × 1012 Jones at short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrum, with a frame rate exceeding 200 Hz. Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots/graphene van der Waals heterostructures have recently emerged as a unique scheme for quantum photodetectors with distinctive advantages over their conventional semiconductor counterparts because of the enhanced light-matter interaction and spectral tunability of quantum dots (QDs), and the superior charge mobility in graphene, which together provide a promising alternative for uncooled infrared photodetectors with a gain or external quantum efficiency up to 1010. The proposed SBIR Phase II effort will optimize and refine the individual quantum IR detectors, and will then focus on developing these detectors into larger focal plane arrays. The ultimate goal of the Phase II effort will be the development of functional prototypes of next-generation uncooled FPAs, and to demonstrate functional integration of such arrays with a readout-circuit.