Page 23 - Winter 2025

Industry News

First shortwave Infrared Image Sensor with Stefano Guerrieri, Engineering Fellow at ams OSRAM,
Indium Arsenide Quantum Dot Photodiodes adds:

A first of its kind prototype shortwave infrared “ Replacing lead in colloidal quantum dots with a
image sensor with indium arsenide quantum dot more environmentally friendly material was our
photodiodes has been revealed at the latest IEEE key goal in Q-COMIRSE. Our development work
International Electron Devices meeting. with Flemish partners imec, Ghent University,
QustomDot and ChemStream paves the way
Part of the Belgian project Q-COMIRSE, the new
toward a low-cost and lead-free short-wave
sensor successfully demonstrated 1390nm imaging
infrared technology that, once mature for
results, providing an alternative to first generation
industrial products, could enable unprecedented
quantum dots which contain lead.
applications in robotics, automotive, AR/VR and
This proof-of-concept is viewed as being a critical consumer electronics among others”. WORLD’S FIRST
step on the way to mass-market infrared imaging Reference: Tyler, N., ‘Imec and Partners unveil SWIR Sensor with Lead-
with low-cost, non-toxic photodiodes. free Quantum Dot Photodiodes’, New Electronics, 15th. December CARBON-14
By detecting wavelengths beyond the
visible spectrum, shortwave infrared DIAMOND BATTERY
sensors can provide enhanced
contrast and detail, as materials
reflect differently in this range.
They can distinguish objects that
appear identical to the human
eye and can penetrate through
fog, making them valuable
for applications such as face
recognition or eye tracking in Scientists and engineers from the University of Tom Scott, Professor of Materials at the University of
consumer electronics as well Bristol and the UK Atomic Energy Authority have Bristol, states:
as for autonomous vehicle produced the world’s first carbon-14 diamond
navigation. “ Our micropower technology can support a
battery that has an estimated life span of over a
whole range of important applications from
Pawel Malinowski, imec Technology thousand years. space technologies and security devices through
Manager and Domain Lead Imaging, comments: to medical implants. We’re excited to be able
It operates by utilising the radioactive isotope
“ The first generation of quantum dot sensors carbon-14 that is conventionally used for radiocarbon to explore all of these possibilities, working with
was crucial for showcasing the possibilities of this dating. By encapsulating this isotope within synthetic partners in industry and research, over the next few
flexible platform. We are now working towards diamonds, the energy released through radioactive years”.
a second generation that will serve as a crucial decay is harnessed to create a long-lasting diamond Reference: Fowle, H., ‘Thousand-year lasting Carbon-14 Diamond
enabler for the masses - aiming at cost-efficient battery. Battery a Breakthrough’, Electronic Specifier, 9th. December
manufacturing in an environmentally friendly way.
High speed beta particles, essentially electrons,
With major industry players looking into quantum
interact with the surrounding diamond structure
dots, we are committed to further refine this
semiconductor technology towards accessible, which acts as a semiconductor, capturing the energy
compact, multifunctional image sensors with new of the electrons and converting it into a steady electric
functionalities”. current.

Visit our website!

Why not head down to our website and
read more news in our blog section?

Updated daily with hand-picked articles
from around the web...

institutionofelectronics.ac.uk

22 23
Become a member: https://membermojo.co.uk/ie Become a member: https://membermojo.co.uk/ie
Become a subscriber: https://membermojo.co.uk/subscriber Become a subscriber: https://membermojo.co.uk/subscriber
Become a sponsor: https://membermojo.co.uk/sponsor Become a sponsor: https://membermojo.co.uk/sponsor