Abstract
Conventional infrared imaging systems rely heavily on external power supplies, limiting their applicability, flexibility, and portability. Here, we present a monolithically integrated photon-mapping near-infrared (780-900 nm) imager that operates in a self-driven mode, achieving a resolution of 5799 ppi and a frame rate of 18.5 kHz. The device vertically integrates multiple photovoltage-generating light-sensing units with a light-emitting unit in a cascaded configuration, enabling visible emission upon near-infrared excitation via internal carrier transfer. Its circuit-free architecture confers intrinsic flexibility and large-area scalability while remaining fully compatible with room-temperature operation. The system eliminates the need for pixel-level readout, thereby enabling spatial resolution beyond conventional pixel limits under optical excitation control. It further supports high-speed imaging governed by the transit dynamics of photogenerated carriers. In addition, its self-driven characteristic ensures inherently low background noise, enhancing the signal-to-background ratio and improving imaging quality. This work introduces a simplified, energy-efficient approach to infrared visualization.
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W.H. discloses support for the research of this work from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant number 2023YFB3611400) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number T2521003). J.W. discloses support for the research of this work from Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (grant number 2024A1515010005) and Foundation of National Key Laboratory of Intense Pulsed Radiation Simulation and Effect (Grant number NKLIPR2315). J.H. discloses support for the research of this work from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 62305047).
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Han, X., Wang, J., Guo, L. et al. Monolithically integrated photon-mapping infrared imager. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73659-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73659-z
