OU awarded OCAST applied research grant

A University of Oklahoma research team has received a $236,000 applied research grant from the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology for development and commercialization of IV-VI semiconductor mid-infrared detectors. Mid-infrared sensing and imaging have widespread military and industrial applications, and the OU team recently developed detectors which offer a competitive advantage over other detectors.

Zhisheng Shi, principal investigator and professor in the OU Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, leads the team that recently developed the detectors. The development of the prototype device was partially sponsored by a previous OCAST grant from the Oklahoma Applied Research Support program, which represents a long-term effort by the state of Oklahoma to encourage technology-based economic development.

The OU prototype detector has outperformed all commercially available products and could gain significant market share and, therefore, help create local high-tech businesses and high-paying jobs. Further development of this technology could make the OU detector a competitive player in mid-wave/long-wave imaging applications. The commercialization efforts include research and development on an automated process to improve stability, packaging, setup of production scale production line and marketing.

The commercial and dual-use world-wide market (excluding military) for infrared imaging equipment exceeds $2 billion. The technology recently was selected to participate in the Oklahoma Proof of Concept Center. For more information about the OU mid-infrared detector, contact Zhisheng Shi at shi@ou.edu or visit the OU Optoelectronic Group website at http://ccoecs.ou.edu/ece/shi.

Provided by University of Oklahoma