A joint research team, headed by Professor Ji Tae Kim from KAIST’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, has created a pioneering 3D printing technique. Using this novel technique, the team makes the world’s tiniest infrared sensors, which are just a few tenths of a micrometer small. This groundbreaking innovation is a huge leap toward creating infrared sensors that are smaller, lighter and less expensive. These semiconductor sensors are key to developing advanced, next-generation electronics.
Infrared sensors are key enablers for numerous applications. Specifically, they serve as the “eyes” element of sensors like LiDAR systems used for self-driving cars. These lidar sensors significantly improve safety and navigation capabilities in fully autonomous vehicles, enabling detection and detailed mapping of surrounding environments. Furthermore, they play a key role in 3D facial recognition technologies adopted by smartphones, ensuring secure user verification through face identity.
Infrared sensors are invaluable to the health and medical industry. They’re used in today’s wearable health devices to accurately track, achieve, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. These sensors track vital signs and other indicators of health and wellness, giving consumers access to real-time information that can help them take control of their own health.
The innovative 3D printing technique devised by Professor Kim’s team operates at room temperature, allowing for the fabrication of infrared sensors in customized shapes and sizes. Such flexibility creates unprecedented opportunities for embedding infrared sensors into increasingly miniaturized technological platforms. In this approach, we take advantage of ligand-exchange-assisted printing to fabricate colloidal nanocrystals. As such, it creates sensors that are less than one-tenth the width of a human hair.
To get started with these topics, Professor Kim collaborated with leading experts. Among them were Professor Soong Ju Oh from Korea University and Professor Tianshuo Zhao from the Hong Kong University. It was the sum of their combined know-how that propelled successful creation of this state-of-the-art technology. Consequently, it is now a leader in electronic progress.
The implications of this research are vast. Their work has allowed for the development of miniaturized infrared sensors. This technological innovation unlocks the potential for unprecedented improvements in computer performance, new device form factors, and electronic systems architectures. Being able to manufacture highly complex, but lightweight components without any functionality being compromised would revolutionize the aerospace, automotive, and many other industries. This effect will be particularly pronounced in automotive, consumer electronics, and healthcare.