Device model for pixelless infrared image up-converters based on polycrystalline graphene heterostructures

TL;DR

This paper presents a device model for pixelless infrared image up-converters using polycrystalline graphene heterostructures, enabling efficient conversion of FIR/MIR images into NIR/VIR images without pixelation.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel pixelless PGLIP-LED up-converter model utilizing polycrystalline graphene layers, highlighting their high photoconductive gain and efficiency advantages over quantum-well based devices.

Findings

High image contrast transfer function depends on PGL lateral resistivity.

The up-converter achieves high photoconductive gain and efficiency.

Layers with varying resistivities can be used in practical devices.

Abstract

We develop a device model for pixelless converters of far/mid-infrared radiation (FIR/MIR) images into near-infrared/visible (NIR/VIR) images. These converters use polycrystalline graphene layers (PGLs) immersed in the van der Waals (vdW) materials integrated with light emitting diode (LED). The PGL serves as an element of the PGL infrared photodetector (PGLIP) sensitive to the incoming FIR/MIR due to the interband absorption. The spatially non-uniform photocurrent generated in the PGLIP repeats (mimics) the non-uniform distribution (image) created by the incident FIR/MIR. The injection of the nonuniform photocurrent into the LED active layer results in the nonuniform NIR/VIR image reproducing the FIR/MIR image. The PGL and the entire layer structure are not deliberately partitioned into pixels. We analyze the characteristics of such pixelless PGLIP-LED up-converters and show that their image contrast transfer function and the up-conversion efficiency depend on the PGL lateral resistivity. The up-converter exhibits high photoconductive gain and conversion efficiency when the lateral resistivity is sufficiently high. Several teams have successfully demonstrated the large area PGLs with the resistivities varying in a wide range. Such layers can be used in the pixelless PGLIP-LED image up-converters. The PGLIP-LED image up-converters can substantially surpass the image up-converters based on the quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP) integrated with the LED. These advantages are due to the use of the interband FIR/NIR absorption and a high photoconductive gain in the GLIPs.