Project Details
Projekt
LATINO - Large area THz-detector arrays enabled by thin-film technology
Applicants
Professor Dr. Daniel Neumaier; Professor Dr. Ullrich Pfeiffer; Professor Dr. Thomas Riedl
Subject Area
Communication Technology and Networks, High-Frequency Technology and Photonic Systems, Signal Processing and Machine Learning for Information Technology
Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
Term
since 2022
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 468784882
THz imaging is an emerging field with main applications in non-destructive material analysis, biomedical applications, or security control. In the past 15 years, THz-cameras, capable of real-time imaging, have been developed using established Silicon CMOS or Silicon-Germanium BiCMOS technology. State-of-the-art Silicon CMOS THz cameras have 1024 pixels (32 x 32) on up to 10 x 10 mm² large chips. Larger arrays with higher resolution are hardly accessible using conventional silicon technology because of high production costs, which scale directly with the die area. Furthermore, conventional rigid silicon technology does not allow constructing flexible focal plane arrays on curved surfaces reducing spherical aberrations, enlarging the field-of-view, and leading to a better off-axis resolution.We will develop flexible large area THz detector active matrix arrays using a backplane based on metal-oxide thin-film-transistor technology within the LATINO project. For THz detection, antenna coupled metal-insulator-graphene diodes will be used and optimized towards the specific requirements of the readout circuitry. Dedicated low-noise amplifiers and multiplexer circuits will be designed and fabricated using metal-oxide semiconductors. The goal is to demonstrate an active pixel based on thin-film-technology comprising an antenna, a diode, and an amplifier at the end of the first funding phase. In the second phase, the technology will be transferred to flexible substrates. Additionally, an array with 64 x 64 pixels will be realized on a 4 x 4 cm² area. This will lay the foundation for a new class of high-resolution THz cameras going significantly beyond the limitations of conventional Silicon CMOS technology.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
