Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have just made a breakthrough: they’ve create the fastest flexible silicon phototransistor ever, and it could massively change the digital camera industry.
They found a way to outperform all current phototransistors, beating them in sensitivity and response time, and creating a new piece of technology that could not only vastly improve digital cameras, but could also result in innovations for satellites, night vision goggles, and a host of other technologies, according to a UPI report.
What does this mean for photographers? This phototransistor could result in the most high definition images yet seen, achieving clarity in photos like nothing that has been produced by phototransistors currently on the market.
How does it work? It’s not easy for the layperson to understand, but essentially this phototransistor uses an innovative new technique that Zhenqiang Ma, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Wisconsin, called “flip-transfer” fabrication in a statement. It uses an ultrathin silicone layer and attaches it to a metal layer, allowing it to absorb more light.
“In this structure — unlike other photodetectors — light absorption in an ultrathin silicon layer can be much more efficient because light is not blocked by any metal layers or other materials,” he said.
Phototransistors are important because they basically are the “eyes” of the camera. Much like our eyes, they collect light and turn it into an electrical pulse. In human bodies, this pulse would go to the brain, producing an image. In photography, it would be turned into code and then converted into an image.
The University of Wisconsin published the findings in Advanced Optic Materials.