To cater to the needs of high-end short-wave infrared (SWIR) applications, such as remote sensing, night vision, and biological imaging, which demand higher spatial resolution and detection sensitivity, infrared imaging pixels are progressively being miniaturized. Nevertheless, when the pixels of mainstream indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) detectors are miniaturized to the micrometer or even sub-micrometer scale, several challenges emerge. These include a significant surge in dark current, pixel crosstalk, as well as heightened difficulties in processing and packaging. These issues collectively impede further enhancements in imaging resolution and the system's signal-to-noise ratio.
