Colloidal Quantum Dots for Infrared Detection and Imaging
Abstract
The advancement of the Navy#s Situational Awareness System (SAWS) necessitates the development of next-generation Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) capable of conducting day/night off-shore, near-shore, and on-shore missions with heightened situational awareness. Current technologies, including radar and night-vision devices, have become outdated, prompting the need for novel sensors and imaging architectures. This proposal aims to address this need by developing advanced Mid-wave and Short-wave Infrared (IR) detectors and imagers based on colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) which possess the ability to perform in degraded visual environments such as sea spray, high humidity, haze, dense fog, smoke, and dust.CQD-based detectors offer significant advantages over traditional mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) detectors. These advantages include greater ease of process, low-cost and large-scale synthesis, room-temperature detection, and tunable optical absorption features for CQDs as well as lower size, weight, power, and cost (SWaPC) for detectors. Additionally, owing to their colloidal nature, these CQDs offer CMOS-compatibility and fabrication with Si-based read out integrated circuits (ROICs). This project focuses on using heavy-metal free silver chalcogenide CQDs as an environmentally benign, and non-toxic IR photodetector material and to lay a platform for integrating these CQDs in imaging architectures to ultimately realize IR cameras.By leveraging the unique properties of CQDs, this project aims to enhance the Navy#s operational capabilities, providing long-rangeimaging and persistent surveillance in challenging conditions. The development of these novel IR detectors will significantly improve target identification, threat assessment, and support weapons engagement, thereby ensuring the highest level of situational awareness for naval operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 09, 2024
- Source ID
- N000142412683
Entities
People
- Ayaskanta Sahu
Organizations
- New York University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy