Recent Progress in Infrared Detection From Material Advances to Integrated Intelligent Systems.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Materials Science
• Infrared Technology

Background:

• Traditional infrared (IR) detectors (e.g., HgCdTe, quantum wells) offer high performance but require cooling and are costly.
• Growing industrial, environmental, and healthcare demands necessitate advanced IR systems with improved detectivity and functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in materials, structures, and integrated architectures for next-generation infrared systems.
• To outline challenges and opportunities for developing compact, intelligent, and multifunctional IR detection platforms.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of novel photodetector materials (2D materials, quantum dots) and band alignment engineering.
• Integration of on-chip microstructures (plasmons, metasurfaces, 3D architectures) for electromagnetic field manipulation.
• Incorporation of advanced technologies like in-sensor computing and on-chip digitization for integrated sensing and processing.

Main Results:

• Emerging materials enable high photodetectivity, low dark current, and room-temperature operation in IR photodetectors.
• On-chip microstructures enhance polarization and wavelength-dependent light absorption, enabling multidimensional photodetection.
• Integrated systems offer compact architectures with adaptive perception, data compression, and real-time signal processing.

Conclusions:

• Significant progress in materials, microstructures, and integration is paving the way for intelligent, multifunctional IR systems.
• Future IR platforms require a focus on material engineering, microstructure design, and integrated architectures for enhanced performance and miniaturization.
• The convergence of sensing and computing on a single chip is crucial for realizing the full potential of next-generation infrared technology.