University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) electrical engineers have created the fastest, most responsive flexible silicon phototransistor ever made, inspired by mammals’ eyes.

Phototransistors (an advanced type of photodetector) convert light to electricity. They are widely used in products ranging from digital cameras, night-vision goggles, and smoke detectors to surveillance systems and satellites.

Developed by UW-Madison collaborators Zhenqiang “Jack” Ma, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and research scientist Jung-Hun Seo, the new phototransistor design uses thin-film single-crystalline silicon nanomembranes and has the highest-ever sensitivity and response time, the engineers say.

They suggest it could improve performance of products that rely on electronic light sensors. Integrated into a digital camera lens, for example, it could reduce bulkiness and boost the acquisition speed and quality of video or still photos.

While many phototransistors are fabricated on rigid surfaces, and therefore are flat, the new devices are flexible, meaning they more easily mimic the behavior of mammalian eyes. “We actually can make the curve any shape we like to fit the optical system,” Ma says. The new “flip-transfer” fabrication method deposits electrodes under the phototransistor’s ultrathin silicon nanomembrane layer and a reflective metal layer on the bottom. The metal layer and electrodes act as reflectors and improve light absorption sensitivity without the need for an external amplifier.

“Light absorption can be much more efficient because light is not blocked by any metal layers or other materials,” Ma says.

The researchers published details this week in the journal Advanced Optical Materials. The work was supported by the U.S. Air Force. The researchers are patenting the technology through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

Abstract of Flexible Phototransistors Based on Single-Crystalline Silicon Nanomembranes