The 2023 Best of Sensors Awards ceremony, presented by Fierce Electronics and Sensors Converge,was held June 21 in Santa Clara, Calif. Each year, these awards honor the best new products in the sensor world and the people and companies that created them in 14 categories. In 2023, Marktech Optoelectronics won the award in the Aerospace/Space category for its ATLAS Hermetic SMD Packaged 2.6µm InGaAs Photodiodes.
InGaAs detectors are often used in physical and life science applications that require high sensitivity over the 900-1700 nm wavelength range. In a world where sensitivity in the 2500 nm range was thought to be the limit, Marktech Optoelectronics' 2.6µm InGaAs photodiode provides wide spectral sensitivity from 250 nm to 2600 nm. While Marktech won its award in the Aerospace/Space category, the sensor is also suitable for use in medical, defense, wearables, industrial factories, and other applications.
Part of the reason it is suited to aerospace and space applications is the groundbreaking ATLAS package that houses the photodiode. The ATLAS surface mount device (SMD) package is proprietary to Marktech Optoelectronics and is a hermetically sealed seam-welded ceramic package that offers more performance and reliability when compared to other packaging options. A space-qualified version of this package is already being used in some orbiting satellites.
"With unexcelled performance and compactness, our ATLAS packaged 1.7 and 2.6 micron InGaAs PIN photodiodes represent a significant breakthrough in the photonics industry. Our focus on delivering high-quality, reliable components for mission-critical applications ensures that our customers can trust in the performance and durability of our products, even in the most challenging situations," said Vince Forte, CTO of Marktech Optoelectronics.
Marktech Optoelectronics' InGaAs photodiode was designed for harsh environments from the ground up. It provides unsurpassed protection against gaseous contaminants like water vapor and oxygen that can hinder the performance of photodiode detectors. Combine this with the hermetically sealed ATLAS package and you have a sensor designed for the most challenging conditions.
While the ATLAS SMD package's advantage over TO-can packaging and the wide spectral range of the sensor itself are two of its top selling points, they are not the only ones. The 2.6µm InGaAs photodiodes are also available in 0.3mm, 1.0mm, and 1.5mm active areas depending on whether an application needs higher gain or higher response speed. For large projects, Marktech can even manufacture custom active area sizes.
The ATLAS SMD packaged 2.6µm InGaAs PIN photodiode also has a compact footprint (CFP) and is extremely low profile (ELP), making it perfect for aerospace and wearable designs. The surface mount design also improves assembly throughput when compared to the through-hole technology of TO-can packaging.
Marktech Optoelectronics was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Latham, New York. Marktech is one of the world's leading manufacturers of photodiode detectors and UV, visible, near-infrared (NIR), and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) emitters. What sets them apart is their willingness to undertake cutting-edge projects from small manufacturers and startups as well as large OEMs, even when those projects require a high degree of customization.
To learn more about the other winners of the 2023 Best of Sensors Awards, check out this article.