Determination of optimal diameters for nanowires

Abstract

Methods of optimizing the diameters of nanowire photodiode light sensors. The method includes comparing the response of nanowire photodiode pixels having predetermined diameters with standard spectral response curves and determining the difference between the spectral response of the photodiode pixels and the standard spectral response curves. Also included are nanowire photodiode light sensors with optimized nanowire diameters and methods of scene reconstruction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 determining a first difference between a first spectral response of a first nanowire and a first spectral response of a human eye;   minimizing the first difference by adjusting a diameter of the first nanowire, a material of the first nanowire, or both;   fabricating a device comprising at least a first pixel, wherein the first pixel comprises the first nanowire.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining a second difference between a second spectral response of a second nanowire and a second spectral response of the human eye;   minimizing the second difference by adjusting a diameter of the second nanowire, a material of the second nanowire, or both;   wherein the device comprises at least a second pixel, wherein the second pixel comprises the second nanowire.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first spectral response of the human eye is a Smith-Pokorny eye response spectral curve. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first spectral response of the human eye is a CIE standard observer curve. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first difference is minimized with a least squares analysis. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first nanowire comprises silicon or GaAs. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising reducing metamerism of the device. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises an optical pipe comprising a core and a cladding. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a response to light of the first nanowire. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a sensor array comprising a plurality of the first pixels. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the device comprises a sensor array comprising rows and columns of alternating first and second pixels. 
     
     
         12 . A device comprising at least a first pixel and a second pixel, wherein the first pixel comprises a first nanowire, and the second pixel comprises a second nanowire, wherein a diameter of the first nanowire is selected such that a first difference between a first spectral response of the first nanowire and a first spectral response of a human eye is minimized, wherein a diameter of the second nanowire is selected such that a second difference between a second spectral response of the second nanowire and a second spectral response of the human eye is minimized. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the device is an optical sensor. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first and second nanowires comprises GaAs or silicon. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the first pixel comprises a first light pipe comprising the first nanowire and a first cladding surrounding the first nanowire and the second pixel comprises a second light pipe comprising the second nanowire and a second cladding surrounding the first nanowire. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein the first pixel further comprises a reflective surface surrounding the first light pipe and the second pixel further comprises a reflective surface surrounding the second light pipe. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein the first pixel comprises a first substrate and a first photodiode in the first substrate, the second pixel comprises a second substrate and a second photodiode in the second substrate. 
     
     
         18 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a plurality of additional first pixels, wherein each of the additional first pixels comprises an additional first nanowire.