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US-12621545-B2 - Optical ROIC integration for OLED-based infrared sensors

US12621545B2US 12621545 B2US12621545 B2US 12621545B2US-12621545-B2

Abstract

An image capture device is described. The image capture device includes a visible image sensor, an optical transfer medium, a non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source, and a non-visible sensitizing part. The visible image sensor is configured to receive visible light indicative of a scene and generate an image depicting the scene. The optical transfer medium is on the visible image sensor. The optical transfer medium is constructed of a material operable to pass visible light indicative of the scene to the visible image sensor. The non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source is connected to the optical transfer medium. The light source is configured to generate visible light indicative of the scene in response to non-visible medium stimulation. The non-visible sensitizing part is configured to detect the non-visible medium indicative of the scene.

Inventors

  • Do Young Kim

Assignees

  • The Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20231219

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . An image capture device, comprising: a visible image sensor configured to receive visible light indicative of a scene and generate an image depicting the scene; an optical transfer medium on the visible image sensor, the optical transfer medium including a dielectric interlayer having a thickness in a range from about 1 nm to about 200 nm, the optical transfer medium constructed of a material operable to pass visible light indicative of the scene to the visible image sensor; and a non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source connected to the optical transfer medium, and having a light source configured to generate visible light indicative of the scene in response to non-visible medium stimulation, a non-visible sensitizing part configured to detect the non-visible medium indicative of the scene, the non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source positioned to pass visible light to the optical transfer medium such that visible light is passed to the image sensor; wherein the optical transfer medium is positioned between the visible image sensor and the non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source.
  2. 2 . The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric interlayer is comprised of one or more of a SiO 2 , a Si 3 N 4 , an Al 2 O 3 , a SiNx, a SiOxNy, a polycarbonate, an acrylic, a polypropylene, a polystyrene, and a fiber optics plate.
  3. 3 . The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source includes a transparent anode, the non-visible sensitizing part, the light source, and a transparent cathode, the non-visible sensitizing part being positioned between the transparent anode and the light source, the light source being positioned between the non-visible sensitizing part and the transparent cathode.
  4. 4 . The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the non-visible sensitizing part includes a hole blocking layer, a non-visible sensing layer, and a hole transport layer, the non-visible sensing layer being positioned between the hole blocking layer and the hole transport layer.
  5. 5 . The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the light source includes the hole transport layer, a visible emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, the visible emitting layer being positioned between the hole transport layer and the electron transport layer, the electron transport layer being positioned between the visible emitting layer and the electron injection layer.
  6. 6 . The image capture device of claim 4 , wherein the hole blocking layer is comprised of one or more of a ZnO, a TiO, a BCP, a 3TPYMB, a TPBi, a TMPYPB, a PC60BM, a PC70BM, and an ITIC.
  7. 7 . The image capture device of claim 4 , wherein the non-visible sensing layer is configured to sense infrared light, and wherein the non-visible sensing layer includes one or more of SnPc, a SnPc:C60, a SnNcCl2, a SnNcCl2, a CoiDFIC, PTB7-Th, a PTB7-Th:CoiDFIC, a PbS nanocrystal layer, a PbSe nanocrystal layer, and an InAs nanocrystal layer.
  8. 8 . The image capture device according to claim 4 , wherein the hole transport layer is comprised of one or more of a TAPC, a NPB, a TFB, a TPD, a poly-TPD, a TFB, and a P3HT.
  9. 9 . The image capture device of claim 5 , wherein the visible emitting layer is configured to emit visible light, the visible emitting layer comprised of one or more of an Ir(ppy)3, a FlrPic, Ir(MDQ)2(acac), a MEH-PPV, and an Alq3.
  10. 10 . The image capture device of claim 5 , wherein the electron transport layer is comprised of one or more of a BCP, a Bphen, a 3TPYMB, a TPBi, a TMPYPB, and an Alq3.
  11. 11 . The image capture device of claim 5 , wherein the electron injection layer is comprised of one or more of a LiF and a Liq.
  12. 12 . The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the non-visible sensitizing part and the light source are positioned on the optical transfer medium.
  13. 13 . The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the visible image sensor is comprised of one or more of a CMOS sensor, a CCD sensor, a TFT sensor.
  14. 14 . The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the visible image sensor is flexible so as to be capable of being malleable without breaking.
  15. 15 . The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the visible image sensor includes pixels having a pixel size, and wherein the dielectric interlayer is thinner than the pixel size of the visible image sensor.
  16. 16 . The image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the optical transfer medium includes a first optical transfer medium and a second optical transfer medium.
  17. 17 . The image capture device of claim 16 , wherein the first optical transfer medium is the dielectric interlayer having the thickness configured to allow visible images to be captured by the visible image sensor without an additional focus lens.
  18. 18 . The image capture device of claim 16 , wherein the dielectric interlayer is positioned between the light source of the non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source and the second optical transfer medium.
  19. 19 . A method, comprising: receiving a non-visible medium of a scene through free space; converting the non-visible medium of the scene to visible light indicative of the scene; passing the visible light through a dielectric interlayer having a thickness between about 1 nm to about 200 nm; and capturing an image of the visible light indicative of the scene.
  20. 20 . A method of making an image capture device, comprising: connecting a visible image sensor, an optical transfer medium and a non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source together to form a composite structure, with the optical transfer medium including a dielectric interlayer having a thickness between about 1 nm to about 200 nm and positioned between the visible image sensor and the non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present patent application is a continuation and claims priority to the patent application identified by International Application No. PCT/US22/34324, filed Jun. 21, 2022, which claims benefit under 35 USC § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/213,023, filed Jun. 21, 2021. The entire contents of the both patent application(s) are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Not applicable. BACKGROUND ART Current shortwave infrared (SWIR) image sensor technologies—defined as the wavelength range between 1.0 and 3.0 μm (from the cut-off of Si to that of the mid-wave infrared atmospheric window) are extremely expensive technology—and rely upon III-V materials (In, Ga, Sb, and As) that have the advantage of high absorption efficiency, high carrier drift velocity and mature design. However, SWIR-sensitive semiconductors of the SWIR image sensor technologies always require an expensive epitaxial growth process only suitable for small area applications; the epitaxial-grown SWIR photodetector pixel arrays must also be pixelized by a complicated expensive semiconductor photolithography process; and SWIR photodetector pixel arrays must also be connected to a silicone-based readout integrated circuits (ROIC) by problematic chip bonding processes for making infrared imaging. The current process of fabricating SWIR image sensor technologies results in a high cost of consumer products and makes it very challenging to make a fine pixel size. The final SWIR image sensors have a limited pixel resolution of below 1 million pixels. As such, applications of the traditional SWIR image sensors are severely limited. Despite the limitations of the current SWIR image sensor technologies, SWIR image sensor technologies are currently utilized in cameras, scopes, night vision devices, lenses, displays, etc. ‘To this end, there is a need for an improved SWIR image sensor, which can be flexible, realized at an ultralow-cost, have increased resolution, have smaller size, be lighter in weight, have a larger pixel resolution and format, and be operated at room-temperature. It is to such an improved image capture device that the present disclosure is directed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A is a schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary image capture device in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 1B is a schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary image capture device in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the image capture device of FIG. 1B having an exemplary non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source coupled to a visible image sensor. FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of an imaging camera having an image capture device in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 4A is a combined front and rear view of a mobile device incorporating an image capture device in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 4B is a front view of an exemplary pair of smart glasses having an image capture device in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 5A an exterior perspective view of a vehicle having an image capture device in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 5B is an interior elevation view of a vehicle having an image capture device in accordance with the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. The mechanisms proposed in this disclosure circumvent the problems described above. The present disclosure describes an image capture device including a non-pixelated non-visible sensitive light source, an optical transfer medium, and a visible image sensor in accordance with the present disclosure. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by anyone of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present). In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the implementations herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the inventive concept. This description should be read to include one or more and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise. Further, use of the term “plur