Safe, Cost-Effective Imaging

In research recently published in Nature, Jinsong Huang, Louis D. Rubin Jr. Distinguished Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Applied Physical Sciences, shared his group’s progress on a new type of photon counting detector that could offer safer medical imaging and enhance nighttime photography.

In addition to these areas, the advances described in “Self-Powered perovskite photon counting detectors” will have direct applications to consumer electronics, sensors, optical communication, radiation detection and more. Compared to current technologies on the market, the team’s technology is more cost effective and does not require external power sources, broadening the scope of how the technology can be applied.

Huang recently spoke with the applied physical sciences department to discuss his group’s research.

“Our group wanted to create technology to improve current photon detectors (called SiPMs, or silicon photomultipliers) because current detectors are limited in functionality and in how they can be applied. To address these problems, we wanted to develop technology that can detect and measure weak light in a way that is cost-effective and with high confidence,” said Huang.

“Our photon-counting detector has the potential to improve products in the fields of imaging, sensors and communications. For instance, the new technology may facilitate safer medical imaging like CT scans and reduce risks from radiography… Moving forward, we hope that this efficient, cost-effective technology will have far-reaching implications for the general population.”

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