{"id":191695,"date":"2025-04-16T16:10:50","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T07:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/?post_type=research-achieve&p=191695"},"modified":"2026-04-16T21:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:54:08","slug":"ee-prof-sanghyeon-kims-team-develops-room-temperature-waveguide-integrated-mid-infrared-photodetector-with-cmos-compatible-solution","status":"publish","type":"research-achieve","link":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/en\/research-achieve\/ee-prof-sanghyeon-kims-team-develops-room-temperature-waveguide-integrated-mid-infrared-photodetector-with-cmos-compatible-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"EE Prof. SangHyeon Kim\u2019s Team Develops Room-Temperature Waveguide-integrated Mid-Infrared Photodetector with CMOS-Compatible Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
\u3008From left: Inki Kim (PhD candidate, Co-author), Professor SangHyeon Kim (Corresponding author), Dr. Joonsup Shim (First author), and Dr. Jinha Lim (Co-author) \u3009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) utilizes mid-infrared spectroscopy to precisely analyze and identify molecular components such as water vapor and sulfur dioxide in exoplanet\u2019s atmosphere. The key to such mid-infrared analysis\u2014where each molecule exhibits a distinct optical \u201cfingerprint\u201d\u2014lies in highly sensitive photodetector technologies capable of detecting light intensities stably.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EE Prof. SangHyeon Kim\u2019s research team has developed a groundbreaking photodetector capable of detecting a broad range of mid-infrared wavelengths while operating stably at room temperature. This innovation represents a significant advancement toward the commercialization of ultra-compact optical sensing platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The newly developed photodetector is fully compatible with standard CMOS fabrication processes, enabling low-cost and scalable mass production. Its most notable feature is robust, stable operation at room temperature. The research team successfully demonstrated real-time detection of carbon dioxide (CO\u2082) using this ultra-compact and ultra-thin optical sensor, validating its potential for applications in environmental monitoring and hazardous gas sensing.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Conventional mid-infrared photodetectors typically require cryogenic cooling to mitigate thermal noise at room temperature. These cooling systems increase the overall size, complexity, and cost of the devices, posing challenges for miniaturization and integration into portable or distributed systems. Furthermore, most existing mid-infrared photodetectors are not compatible with CMOS processes, which hinders their large-scale manufacturability and commercial viability.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To address these limitations, Prof. SangHyeon Kim\u2019s research team developed a novel waveguide-integrated photodetector based on a germanium-on-insulator (Ge-OI) photonic platform\u2014leveraging germanium, a group-IV material compatible with CMOS processes. This platform enables broadband mid-infrared detection while ensuring stable operation at room temperature.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\u3008 Figure 1. Schematic of the germanium-on-insulator waveguide-integrated photodetector for room-temperature mid-infrared sensing (top), and optical microscope image of the fabricated device (bottom) \u3009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

A \u201cwaveguide<\/em>\u201d is an optical component designed to efficiently guide light along a specific path with minimal loss. To realize diverse on-chip optical functionalities, the integration of waveguide-based optical components\u2014such as waveguide-integrated photodetectors\u2014is essential.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unlike conventional photodetectors that rely on wavelength-specific bandgap absorption, the newly developed photodetector exploits the bolometric effect<\/em>*, enabling broadband photoresponse across the entire mid-infrared spectrum. This approach allows real-time, spectrally non-selective sensing of various molecules.\u00a0<\/span>*Bolometric effect<\/strong>: A principle where absorbed light increases the local temperature of a material, which in turn changes in the material\u2019s electrical resistance.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The room-temperature, CMOS-compatible waveguide-integrated mid-infrared photodetector developed by SangHyeon Kim\u2019s research team <\/span>addresses key limitations of existing technologies\u2014particularly the reliance on cooling systems, limited scalability, and high manufacturing costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\u3008 Figure 2. Room-temperature photoresponse characteristics (left) and real-time CO\u2082 gas sensing results (right) using the fabricated waveguide-integrated photodetector \u3009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

This technology is expected to find broad applications in areas such as environmental monitoring, industrial process control, medical diagnostics, defense and security, and smart sensing platforms. It provides a crucial technological foundation for the next generation of mid-infrared sensor systems.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prof. SangHyeon Kim stated, \u201cThis research presents a novel approach that overcomes the limitations of existing mid-infrared photodetector technologies and offers significant potential for practical applications across a wide range of fields.<\/em>\u201d He added, \u201cThanks to its compatibility with CMOS processes, this sensor can be mass-produced at low cost and will be highly useful in next-generation environmental monitoring systems and smart manufacturing environments.<\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\u3008 Figure 3. Performance comparison of waveguide-integrated photodetectors using bolometric effect. Our approach can cover the entire mid-infrared spectrum for spectroscopic analysis of numerous biochemical molecules. \u3009<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

This research was published on March 19, 2025, in the prestigious international journal Light: Science & Applications<\/em> (JCR top 2.9%, IF = 20.6). The first author is Dr. Joonsup Shim, currently a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University. <\/span>(Paper title: Room-temperature waveguide-integrated photodetector using bolometric effect for mid-infrared spectroscopy applications<\/em>, DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41377-025-01803-3)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

376<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":191690,"template":"","research_category":[353],"class_list":["post-191695","research-achieve","type-research-achieve","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","research_category-integrated-circuits-semiconductor-systems-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-achieve\/191695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-achieve"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/research-achieve"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"research_category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ee.presscat.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research_category?post=191695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}