QDs predicted to impact infra-red sensing in 2024

The demand for high-performance short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensing in AI and machine vision is expected to fuel an explosion of activity in the quantum dot (QD) market this year, as industry players in sectors including food inspection, medical devices, artificial intelligence and more, are increasingly seeking to expand their access to infrared data, according to infrared QD technology company Quantum Science. 

The rise of cheaper alternatives to Indium-Gallium-Arsenide (InGaAs) sensors were said to have already disrupted the multi-billion-dollar market for SWIR capable electronics, with machine vision businesses already seeing the benefits of affordable low pixel pitch and high-resolution imaging first hand.

Proven, lower-cost technology, such as the company’s INFIQ® technology lead sulphide-based QDs, argued the company, offer high tenability to wavelengths across the near and shortwave infrared spectra, enabling sensors equipped with them the ability to capture vast quantities of ‘invisible’ data.  

The recent development of lead-free QD technology sensitive to wavelengths up to 1,550nm will also soon start unlocking exciting SWIR applications in consumer electronics by providing a non-toxic, high-performance solution. 

“We’re seeing growing demand for intelligent systems in all aspects of society, leading to a need for sophisticated sensor solutions,” said Quantum Science’s CEO and Founder Dr Hao Pang. “These advanced systems rely on data; without accurate information, they cannot function effectively. 

“SWIR capability will provide the next great leap in imaging and sensing by broadening the range of data accessible by devices, and increasingly, vision industry players are recognising this and investing in cameras that can take advantage of this technology. As they do so, the applications of this technology will expand: from enabling artificial intelligence to reach its full potential by feeding it with higher quality invisible data, to high-performance industrial cameras sorting plastic waste to benefit the environment, the answer lies in SWIR,” he added.  

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