Room temperature operation of germanium-silicon single-photon avalanche diode. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38383784/)

These scientists wanted to create a special type of detector that can see really tiny particles of light called photons. They found that most detectors need to be very cold or can't be made easily using certain processes. So, they decided to make a new kind of detector that works at room temperature and can be made using a process called CMOS.

They made a detector using a material called germanium-silicon, which is different from the usual silicon detectors. This new detector was much better at detecting single photons compared to older detectors made of germanium. They tested this new detector and found that it could detect photons very well, even at a wavelength of 1,310 nanometers. They also measured how fast the detector could detect photons and how accurate it was.

To show how well their new detector worked, they used it to capture 3D images using a special technique called time-of-flight. This study shows that their new detector can be used in many everyday devices to make them better and safer.

Na N., Lu YC., Liu YH., Chen PW., Lai YC., Lin YR., Lin CC., Shia T., Cheng CH., Chen SL. Room temperature operation of germanium-silicon single-photon avalanche diode. Nature. 2024 Feb 21. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07076-x.