Oct 8 2015
Zecotek Photonics Inc., a developer of leading-edge photonics technologies for industrial, healthcare and scientific markets, is pleased to announce that the U.S. Patent office has issued a Notice of Allowance for a novel micro-pixel avalanche photo transistor (MAPT).
Zecotek`s scientific team has refined the design of its solid-state micro-pixel avalanche photo diode (MAPD) into a silicon photomultiplier transistor tailored specifically for positron emission tomography (PET) medical imaging and other major sensor industries.
"The patent covering our new micro-pixel avalanche photo transistor includes a superior technological solution to all competing silicon based photomultipliers," said Dr. A.F. Zerrouk, Chairman, President, and CEO of Zecotek Photonics Inc. "The MAPT was a natural next step from our solid-state MAPD photo detectors and other silicon photo detectors, focused to overcome the limitations of the earlier technology and greatly improve the parameters of our photo detectors. Our new MAPT technology is the basis of a much faster photo response, very low capacitance, and higher signal gain due to active individual cells of a photo detector. In some ways, the progress with solid-state photo detectors is similar to the radical improvement of LCD display quality due to the shift from passive-matrix technology to TFT displays. As leading organizations, in the imaging and sensor industries and high energy physics, redefine their designs by adopting more advanced silicon photomultipliers, Zecotek will continue its leading role in the world of photonics by creating new and improved imaging technologies."
The newly designed MAPT is positioned to become the leading photo sensor in areas of time-of-flight optical photo detection. The MAPT technology allows at least 10 times shorter photo-response duration with 10 times as high photo-response signal in comparison to known analogues. Although speed is of special importance in such critical applications as time-of-flight PET, high-energy physics, and optical ranging detectors, the improved parameters will also broaden the number of applications by allowing higher gains typical of photomultiplier tubes and large-area photo-detectors. A significant market for this technology is automobile sensors, because the MAPT operates in all the regions of light sensitivity (ultraviolet, visible and infrared), and automobile sensors use infrared. Furthermore, the MAPT technology is not specific to the base semiconductor material, thus opening the prospect of expanding the available detection spectrum to UV and IR optical ranges by using suitable materials such as gallium nitride or germanium.
Source: http://www.zecotek.com/