Flexible Nanophotonic Cavity-Enhanced Infrared Photodetectors Employing Double Quantum Wells

Background:

Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIPs) are sensitive photodetectors for the mid-to-long-wave infrared spectrum (3-20 µm) that are often used in applications such as remote sensing, imaging, and optical communications. In recent years, QWIP technologies have undergone substantial development, with the most recent introduction of single-quantum-well infrared photodetectors (SQWIP). While SQWIPs exhibit increased responsivity and detectability compared to earlier QWIPs, the structure of SQWIP devices can result in a degradation of photocurrent, decreasing responsivity. This technology provides a novel Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector, which utilizes two quantum wells, resulting in state-of-the-art responsivity performance with the capacity to be implemented on flexible substrates.    

Technology Overview:

This University at Buffalo technology features a novel Double Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector, which exhibits state-of-the-art detector responsivity performance, substantially improving upon earlier QWIP technologies, including SQWIP. Additionally, our DQWIP technology is sufficiently thin such that it can be used on flexible substrates, opening up a wide variety of novel applications.

Advantages:

• Superior device performance with higher responsivity and detectivity.
• Mechanical flexibility of these devices will enable a broad range of new applications.
• Highly tailorable operating wavelength range.
• Lower costs associated with the semiconductor heterostructure growth.

 Applications:

• Conventional-format flat and rigid QWIPs and QWIP-based focal plane arrays with superior performances; 
• Flexible infrared photodetectors for wearable devices, sensors and systems; 
• Concave-curved infrared focal plane arrays for wide field-of-view cameras/imagers; 
• Convex-curved infrared focal plane arrays for compound-eye type compact low-weight imagers.

Intellectual Property Summary:

United States Provisional Patent Application 63/817,238 filed June 3^rd, 2025.  

Stage of Development:

• Prototypes fabricated and validated within the laboratory setting.
• TRL 5

Licensing Status: 

Available for licensing or collaboration.