Triple wavelength superspectral camera focal-plane array (SUPERCAMERA)

Optical imaging is perhaps the single most important sensor modality in use today. Its use is widespread in consumer, medical, commercial and defence technologies. The most striking development of the last 20 years has been the emergence of digital imaging using complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. Because CMOS is scalable, camera technology has benefited from Moore's law reduction in transistor size so that it is now possible to buy cameras with more than 10 MegaPixels for £50. The same benefits are beginning to emerge in other imaging markets - most notably in infrared imaging where 64x64 pixel thermal cameras can be bought for under £1000. Far infrared (FIR), or terahertz, imaging is now emerging as a vital modality with application to biomedical and security imaging, but early imaging arrays are still only few pixel research ideas and prototypes that we are currently investigating.
There has been no attempt to integrate the three different wavelength sensors coaxially on to the same chip. Sensor fusion is already widespread whereby image data from traditional visible and mid infrared (MIR) sensors is overlaid to provide a more revealing and data rich visualisation. Image fusion permits discrepancies to be identified and comparative processing to be performed. Our aim is to create a "superspectral" imaging chip. By superspectral we mean detection in widely different bands, as opposed to the discrimination of many wavelengths inside a band - e.g. red, green and blue in the visible band. We will use "More than Moore" microelectronic technology as a platform. By doing so, we will leverage widely available low-cost CMOS to build new and economically significant technologies that can be developed and exploited in the UK. There are considerable challenges to be overcome to make such technology possible. We will hybridise two semiconductor systems to integrate efficient photodiode sensors for visible and MIR detection. We will integrate bolometric sensing for FIR imaging. We will use design and packaging technologies for thermal isolation and to optimise the performance of each sensor type. We will use hybridised metamaterial and surface plasmon resonance technologies to optimise wavelength discrimination allowing vertical stacking of physically large (i.e. FIR) sensors with visible and MIR sensors.

We ultimate want to demonstrate the world's first ever super-spectral camera.

We will achieve both academic and KT impact from this project. All the investigators and their teams have an excellent track record in engagement with academic peers and in writing high quality papers that are published in leading journals. Similarly, the team members frequently attend and participate in the organisation of international conferences, ensuring rapid dissemination of work to the peer community.
We have industrial support in this project from 5 UK companies with a strong interest in imaging and sensor technologies, manufacturing technology and in electronics design and implementation. Gas Sensing Solutions (GSS) Ltd are a leading supplier of IR sensors. GSS will support the project experimentally and in an advisory capacity to a value of £140.8k. Selex are a world-leading supplier of electro-optic technologies. They have historically devoted much of their effort to the defence sector, but are now seeking new commercial opportunities. Selex are already funding research for future commercial sensor technologies in Glasgow, illustrating their belief in the knowledge transfer and research capabilities of the University. Plessey has extensive IP for the defence and security market and have entered into strategic alliance with Glasgow University. Their commitment to building on that relationship via this project is the provision to legacy CMOS foundry (0.35 micron) technology as required. The technology is ideal for our prototyping activity, and we may well pave the way for rapid IP transfer in the future. Plessey will support the project experimentally and in kind to a value of £100k. STMIcroelectronics in Edinburgh were the originator of the CMOS focal plane array and have a legacy of pioneering technology for image sensing. They are primarily interested in visible and IR imaging, but want to fully engage with the vision of the project. STMicroelectronics will also provide CASE support to a parallel funded DTA studentship that we will incorporate into the project. In total STMicroelectrics will support the project to a value of £90k. Logitech are the world-leader in wafer thinning and polishing for the semiconductors. Based near Glasgow they will provide their expertise in wafer thinning to a value of £165k enabling integration and packaging.
We do not anticipate that any one of these companies would want to commercialise the technology as a product by themselves. We therefore want to develop our own commercial spin-out opportunity. The companies we are working with will therefore operate as service providers and serve several functions in the overall product value chain. We will work with, e.g. EPSRC, TSB, Scottish Enterprise and GU's business development team in the follow-on stages of the project. This approach is appropriate since the funders aligned to economic development (e.e. TSB and SE) have identified nanotechnologies, electronic, photonic and sensor technologies as areas where the UK has the potential for new high growth business development.