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NEWS
Professor Jae Won Shim`s Research Team at Korea University Develops Core Photodetector Technology for the Selective Detection of Ultra-Weak Visible and Infrared Signals
관리자 2026.06.26 Views 46
▲ (Left) Prof. Jae Won Shim, Korea University (Corresponding Author); (Right) Seunghyun Oh, M.S. Student (First Author)
△ Schematic illustration of the VLPS device, photodetection performance metrics, and demonstration results for silicon wafer alignment
Professor Jae Won Shim's research team at the Korea University School of Electrical Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Soong Ju Oh of the Korea University Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Dr. Min-Chul Park of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), has developed a self-filtering monolithic organic/PbS quantum dot photodetector capable of the selective detection of ultra-weak visible and short-wave infrared (SWIR) signals.
This achievement represents a core technology for realizing indoor smart photosensors. The study was published in Nature Communications (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-74407-z), a world-renowned multidisciplinary journal, demonstrating its international academic significance.
Recently, demand for dual-spectrum photodetectors capable of simultaneously and separately detecting light across multiple wavelength ranges has been rapidly increasing in various advanced fields, including autonomous driving, non-invasive medical diagnosis, optical communications, and next-generation semiconductor processing. However, conventional dual-spectrum photodetectors require complex charge-transport interlayers to prevent spectral crosstalk. This inevitably complicates the device structure and causes interfacial noise that interferes with the detection of weak signals.
To overcome these challenges, the research team adopted a hybrid structure combining organic materials and quantum dot semiconductors and introduced an original structural control technique that induces vertical and lateral phase separation (VLPS) within the organic layer. As a result, the photodetection layer itself acquired a self-filtering function that selectively processes optical and electrical signals without requiring complex interlayers. The team successfully separated and extracted visible and infrared signals simply by switching the direction of the applied voltage.
This study also has significant academic value in that it elevates phase separation, which has received relatively limited attention in the field of organic photodetectors, into a key technology for dual-function devices. Going beyond simple process optimization, the researchers used the morphology of the material itself as a functional design tool, completely replacing the role of conventional interlayers. In particular, this unique morphological effect shifted the linear dynamic range (LDR) in the visible-light region toward light intensities 100 times lower than before, enabling the detection of ultra-weak light. This is a distinctive achievement that cannot be obtained through conventional interlayer-based designs. Furthermore, by applying an active layer much thicker than that of typical organic optoelectronic devices, approximately 200 nm, the study provides important academic insight into the structure–property relationship of thick bulk heterojunction (BHJ) devices.
One of the major achievements of this study is that it demonstrated the applicability of this technology to silicon wafer alignment, a critical process in three-dimensional semiconductor stacking and packaging. To vertically stack multiple wafers, fine alignment patterns must be precisely matched without error. Using the newly developed monolithic device, the research team identified patterns on the front side of stacked silicon wafers through visible-light reflection and on the back side through infrared transmission simply by switching the applied voltage, without replacing complex optical equipment. The team also successfully achieved physical alignment within an extremely small error range.
This research was supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resource (MOTIR), the National Research Foundation of Korea under the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Institutional Program.
This achievement represents a core technology for realizing indoor smart photosensors. The study was published in Nature Communications (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-74407-z), a world-renowned multidisciplinary journal, demonstrating its international academic significance.
Recently, demand for dual-spectrum photodetectors capable of simultaneously and separately detecting light across multiple wavelength ranges has been rapidly increasing in various advanced fields, including autonomous driving, non-invasive medical diagnosis, optical communications, and next-generation semiconductor processing. However, conventional dual-spectrum photodetectors require complex charge-transport interlayers to prevent spectral crosstalk. This inevitably complicates the device structure and causes interfacial noise that interferes with the detection of weak signals.
To overcome these challenges, the research team adopted a hybrid structure combining organic materials and quantum dot semiconductors and introduced an original structural control technique that induces vertical and lateral phase separation (VLPS) within the organic layer. As a result, the photodetection layer itself acquired a self-filtering function that selectively processes optical and electrical signals without requiring complex interlayers. The team successfully separated and extracted visible and infrared signals simply by switching the direction of the applied voltage.
This study also has significant academic value in that it elevates phase separation, which has received relatively limited attention in the field of organic photodetectors, into a key technology for dual-function devices. Going beyond simple process optimization, the researchers used the morphology of the material itself as a functional design tool, completely replacing the role of conventional interlayers. In particular, this unique morphological effect shifted the linear dynamic range (LDR) in the visible-light region toward light intensities 100 times lower than before, enabling the detection of ultra-weak light. This is a distinctive achievement that cannot be obtained through conventional interlayer-based designs. Furthermore, by applying an active layer much thicker than that of typical organic optoelectronic devices, approximately 200 nm, the study provides important academic insight into the structure–property relationship of thick bulk heterojunction (BHJ) devices.
One of the major achievements of this study is that it demonstrated the applicability of this technology to silicon wafer alignment, a critical process in three-dimensional semiconductor stacking and packaging. To vertically stack multiple wafers, fine alignment patterns must be precisely matched without error. Using the newly developed monolithic device, the research team identified patterns on the front side of stacked silicon wafers through visible-light reflection and on the back side through infrared transmission simply by switching the applied voltage, without replacing complex optical equipment. The team also successfully achieved physical alignment within an extremely small error range.
This research was supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resource (MOTIR), the National Research Foundation of Korea under the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Institutional Program.
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