Frontiers in Photosensor Materials and Designs for New Image Sensor Applications

Abstract

Certain applications of image sensors require capabilities that are beyond the technology of current image sensors such as automated quality inspection systems based on color discrimination under varying levels of illumination. This paper serves to provide a brief overview of image sensor technologies involving the use of alternative photosensor materials (organic semiconductors and perovskites) being developed to meet these needs. The discussion around such developments is typically confined to chemistry and physics "silos"; by publishing in this special edition, the authors hope to bridge the knowledge gap between scientists developing new photosensor materials and engineers developing image sensors for new machine vision systems.

Aerosol‐Jet Printed Sensors for Environmental, Safety, and Health Monitoring: A Review

“…While these materials have some advantages (e.g., Si‐based photosensors are the same material as the underlying circuitry allowing for monolithic integration with the electronic readout), they suffer from costly, high‐temperature lithography‐based fabrication processes that require a rigid, thick active layer and preclude the use of flexible substrates. [ 233 ] On the other hand, alternative photosensor materials (e.g., perovskites, organic semiconductors, colloidal quantum dots), which are amenable to the aerosol‐jet printing process, have recently attracted interest for their ability to scale into large‐area arrays on flexible substrates. [ 234 ] The performance of such devices is typically measured via several metrics that are associated with noise, speed, and efficiency; for example, the quantification of photoresponse strength is termed as the responsivity (ampere/watt (A W −1 )).…”

Solution‐Based Integration of Vertically Stacked Organic Photodetectors Toward Easy‐To‐Fabricate Filterless Multi‐Color Light Sensors

“…Multicolor photodetection is key to a wide range of applications, not only in the conventional areas of colorimetry and digital photography but also in emerging domains such as smart manufacturing, smart agriculture, smart homes, medical diagnostics, machine vision, and wearable electronics. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Conventional photodetector technologies rely on semiconductors that have broadband absorption properties (e.g., silicon), which therefore require input optical filtering to achieve color selectivity. [2,9] This approach is exemplified by the adoption of imager architectures featuring a color filter array atop a matching broadband photodetector array [10] (Figure 1a).…”

Self-Powered Sensors: New Opportunities and Challenges from Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials

“…Sensors are key ingredients of next-generation electronics in the Internet of Things (IoT) because they contribute to collecting essential signals. The development of various sensors, including photosensors [1][2][3][4], gas sensors [5,6], temperature sensors [7][8][9], and biosensors [10][11][12][13] is extensive, which accelerates innovation in new technologies such as the aforementioned IoT. To realize the desired sensing functions, detection performance, such as high sensitivity, robust immunity to noise, and fast response times, should be comprehensively improved [14][15][16][17].…”