TIME-OF-FLIGHT IMAGE SENSOR WITH QUANTOM DOT PHOTODETECTORS

• Main Authors: MIKOLAJCZAK, Adrian, ARAIN, Muzammil
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.12.2023
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TESTING

A time-of-flight (ToF) sensor includes a photodetector array and a processing circuit. The photodetector array includes a plurality of photodetectors wherein each photodetector of the photodetector array includes a silicon-based, light-sensitive diode. Each silicon-based, light-sensitive diode includes a photosensitive layer comprising a plurality of quantum dot particles sensitive to a near infrared (NIR) region of an electromagnetic spectrum, wherein the plurality of quantum dot particles converts optical energy into electrical energy to generate an electrical current in response to receiving NIR light having a wavelength in the NIR region. The processing circuit is configured to receive the electrical current and calculate a time-of-flight of the received NIR light based on the electrical current.