Last Updated: 03/05/2024

FY19 MURI, Topic 22: (AFOSR) Group-IV Alloy Synthesis and Materials Properties
Understanding and Breaking the Material Barriers of SiGeSn Alloys for Infrared Devices

Topic Chiefs: Wooddy S. Miller Ph.D., Lt. Col, USAF and Dr. Kenneth Goretta | Grant Number: FA9550-19-1-0341

 

 

 

Fourth Annual Review Meeting - 03/11/2024

Vision Statement

Our vision is to develop high quality, stable (Si)GeSn alloys to revolutionize infrared imaging and to answer fundamental questions that are unique to this alloy system. (Si)GeSn is a disruptive technology, which at 20% to 40% Sn, can meet DoD need for lighter, faster, higher signal-to-noise, and more energy efficient 2-5 µm infrared imaging devices at significantly lower cost.

The key enabling factors for (Si)GeSn over all current IR detector technologies include:

  • Greater capability to engineer the bandgap as direct or indirect, near-to-mid IR wavelengths, impacting a broad range of applications
  • Significantly lower radiative and Auger recombination  coefficients for longer carrier lifetime (>100 µs), and larger oscillator strength for higher absorption coefficient, giving a shorter carrier extraction time, lower dark current, and higher internal quantum efficiency
  • Si integration with greater wafer size (8”-12”), resulting in composition uniformity, image sharpness, high resolution and large field of view, and lower cost.
  • Compatibility with CMOS (metal-oxide-semiconductor) for large-scale manufacturing, utilizing state-of-the-art Si image sensor circuits on the same chip, lowering cost, and making (Si)GeSn the dominating IR detector technology

These factors emphasize that the advantage of (Si)GeSn over all IR detector technologies is much more than lower cost – (Si)GeSn can potentially beat all current technology on performance!

Team

 

         Dr. Shui-Qing (Fisher) Yu

Dr. Shui-Qing (Fisher) Yu

Principal Investigator (UA)

 

 

          Dr. Gregory Salamo

Dr. Gregory Salamo

Co-Principal Investigator (UA)

         Dr.  Hameed Naseem

Dr. Hameed Naseem

Senior Personnel (UA)

               Dr. Yong-Hang Zhang

Dr. Yong-Hang Zhang

Co-Principal Investigator (ASU)

 

 

         Dr. Jifeng Liu

Dr. Jifeng Liu

Co-Principal Investigator (DART)

          Dr.  Andrew Chizmeshya

Dr. Andrew Chizmeshya

Co-Principal Investigator (ASU)

         Dr. Tianshu Li

Dr. Tianshu Li

Co-Principal Investigator (GWU)

 

 

          Dr. Greg Sun

Dr. Greg Sun

Co-Principal Investigator (UMB)

         Dr.  Richard Soref

Dr. Richard Soref

Senior Personnel (UMB)

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