October 30, 2015

UW-MADISON ENGINEERS REVEAL RECORD-SETTING FLEXIBLE PHOTOTRANSISTOR


(a), Bending setup for RF measurements. (b), A bent device array on a bending fixture.
(c), Calculated mobility values from measured transconductance as a function of bending induced strain
for both unstrained and strained devices.
(d), fT and fmax of both unstrained and strained devices as a function of bending induced external strain.

(October 30, 2015)  Inspired by mammals' eyes, University of Wisconsin-Madison electrical engineers have created the fastest, most responsive flexible silicon phototransistor ever made.

The innovative phototransistor could improve the performance of myriad products - ranging from digital cameras, night-vision goggles and smoke detectors to surveillance systems and satellites - that rely on electronic light sensors. Integrated into a digital camera lens, for example, it could reduce bulkiness and boost both the acquisition speed and quality of video or still photos.

Developed by UW-Madison collaborators Zhenqiang "Jack" Ma, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and research scientist Jung-Hun Seo, the high-performance phototransistor far and away exceeds all previous flexible phototransistor parameters, including sensitivity and response time.

The researchers published details of their advance this week in the journal Advanced Optical Materials.

Like human eyes, phototransistors essentially sense and collect light, then convert that light into an electrical charge proportional to its intensity and wavelength. In the case of our eyes, the electrical impulses transmit the image to the brain. In a digital camera, that electrical charge becomes the long string of 1s and 0s that create the digital image.

While many phototransistors are fabricated on rigid surfaces, and therefore are flat, Ma and Seo's are flexible, meaning they more easily mimic the behavior of mammalian eyes.