The researchers developed a two-terminal CQD dual-band detector that provided a bias-switchable spectral response in two distinct bands. By controlling the bias polarity and magnitude, the detector can be rapidly switched between shortwave IR and midwave IR at modulation frequencies up to 100 kHz. The detector performance was demonstrated by dual-band IR imaging and remote temperature monitoring.
![Photos taken by researchers testing a new method to make an infrared camera that could be much less expensive to manufacture. Courtesy of Xin Tang et al.](https://www.photonics.com/images/Web/Articles/2019/3/11/REAS_Chicago_Breakthrough_could_enable_cheaper_infrared_cameras.jpg)
The resulting camera performs well and is much easier to produce than traditional IR cameras, said the researchers. There are many potential uses for inexpensive IR cameras, the scientists said, including autonomous vehicles, which rely on sensors to scan the road and surroundings. Today’s IR cameras are made by successively laying down multiple layers of semiconductors, an expensive process that prohibits their use in most consumer electronics.
“Traditional methods to make infrared cameras are very expensive, both in materials and time, but this method is much faster and offers excellent performance,” Tang said.
The research was published in Nature Photonics (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-019-0362-1).