Japan’s Fujitsu has announced the development of a world-leading, high-sensitivity and high-resolution infrared sensor to enhance monitoring capabilities in the defense and disaster prevention fields.

This sensor is a Type-II Superlattice (T2SL) infrared sensor with more than 1 million pixels, capable of detecting both mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) and long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) light.

Its high sensitivity allows it to clearly capture very small thermal differences of 0.05°C or less, enabling high-precision monitoring during both day and night. It is the world’s first dual-band T2SL infrared sensor with more than 1 megapixel.

This technology was developed under a contract from Japan’s Ministry of Defence Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) as part of the “prototype of wide-band and high-responsivity photodetector,” and Fujitsu has completed the delivery of the prototype sensor.

Uses of dual-band infrared sensor

The newly developed technology significantly improves detection and identification performance, and its applications span multiple fields.

For example, when mounted on optical sensor systems on satellites or aircraft, it can help in early disaster assessment and environmental monitoring, creating new value across various areas.

By integrating this sensor into monitoring devices for defense and disaster prevention, it becomes possible to accurately detect thermal changes, such as identifying early signs of human activity or object movement, locating people during disasters, early detection of forest fires, and monitoring tsunamis.

About the sensor

Infrared sensors capture infrared radiation naturally emitted by heat-emitting objects and display their surface temperature distribution. Fujitsu has utilized the characteristics of T2SL, a compound semiconductor with a superlattice structure that allows control of material properties, to create a unique dual-band sensor.

The superlattice structure, where different semiconductor materials are layered at the nanometer (one-billionth of a meter) level, provides excellent control over detection wavelength and manufacturing, along with high sensitivity.

By selecting combinations of semiconductor materials with large energy offsets in the band structure (i.e., Type-II superlattice, T2SL), it becomes possible to detect infrared light, which has lower energy than visible light. The sensor’s ability to simultaneously detect MWIR and LWIR wavelength bands from a single pixel further enhances its detection accuracy.

About Japan

Japan is an island country located in East Asia. Situated in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south.

The Japanese archipelago consists of four main islands along with 14,121 smaller islands. Tokyo is the capital and the largest city of the country. During the Meiji period, Japan pursued rapid industrialization, modernization, militarism and overseas colonization.

The country annexed Korea in 1910, invaded China in 1937, and attacked the United States and European colonial powers in 1941, thereby entering World War II as an Axis power.

After its defeat in the Pacific War and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States, Japan surrendered in 1945 and came under Allied occupation. Japan is a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature called the National Diet. It is widely regarded as a major power and is the only Asian member of the G7.