Commercial High-Resolution Quantum Dot SWIR Sensors and Cameras for Industrial Automation Markets

Industrial cameras capable of imaging objects in the shortwave IR (SWIR) range are attracting increasing interest for applications in food, pharmaceutical, and other industries. While InGaAs sensors gained an early foothold, imaging sensors based on quantum dots (QDs) are introducing unique advantages, such as higher resolutions, wider fields of view, and significantly broader imaging bandwidths. QD cameras are also inherently lower cost than equivalent-resolution InGaAs-based cameras, so they often translate to a lower-cost total system solution. Klem introduces QD sensor technology, how it works, and how it compares to InGaAs-based SWIR sensors. He also discusses key imaging applications and best practices when implementing QD cameras within a broad range of machine vision, automation, defense, and scientific imaging applications.

About the presenter
Ethan Klem, Ph.D., is co-founder and CTO of SWIR Vision Systems. He received his doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Toronto, where his work with colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) contributed to the world's first demonstration of an infrared photovoltaic effect from PbS (lead sulfide) colloidal quantum dots. He has over 17 years of experience developing quantum dot-based optoelectronic devices. At SWIR Vision Systems, his focus is on commercializing the CQD photodiode technology he co-invented and on accelerating the development of the technology for high-volume markets. He has authored or co-authored 24 peer-reviewed journal publications, 25 issued patents, 4 pending patent applications, and 18 conference presentations and proceedings.