Associate Professor Zhou Hang's research team at the School of Electronic and Computer Engineering (SECE), Peking University, has won second prize in the Guangming division industry finals of the 18th China Shenzhen Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, held in conjunction with the 10th Guangming District Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
Xu Xinxin, a doctoral student in Integrated Circuits Science and Engineering at SECE, represented North Gatherlight (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. in presenting the team’s work on commercializing perovskite direct-conversion X-ray detectors. The Guangming division attracted more than 900 entries, with the project advancing through multiple rounds of evaluation to reach the industry finals.
Figure 1. The team at the competition finals.
The competition’s intelligent sensor program brought together companies and innovation teams from across China working on smart sensors, emerging sensing technologies and industrial applications. It was hosted by the Guangming District Science, Technology and Innovation Bureau and organized by the Shenzhen Intelligent Sensor Industry Association, under the guidance of the Science, Technology and Innovation Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality and the Guangming District People’s Government.
Developing detectors for demanding imaging applications
Xu has been involved in the team’s research and technology transfer activities on perovskite photodetectors and image sensors. At the finals, Xu presented the project’s operating principles, key innovations, foundations for commercialization and potential applications, and discussed perovskite materials, detector performance and the path to industrial deployment with the judges.
Figure 2. Xu Xinxin presents the project at the industry finals.
The project combines perovskite semiconductor materials with thin-film transistor (TFT) integration technology. By taking advantage of the strong X-ray absorption of perovskites, the team is developing detectors designed to offer high sensitivity, low operating electric fields, low dark current and high stability. X-ray detectors are key components in medical imaging, industrial computed tomography (CT), scientific instrumentation, security screening and semiconductor inspection. Growing demand for precision inspection and advanced manufacturing is driving the development of low-dose, highly sensitive detectors capable of high-speed dynamic imaging. The team’s research seeks to address limitations in the sensitivity, dynamic response and manufacturing costs of conventional amorphous-silicon X-ray detectors.
Connecting materials research with imaging systems
Building on its materials and device research, the team is integrating perovskite detectors with TFT pixel arrays. It is also exploring machine-learning methods to improve image quality and intelligent recognition, with potential applications in industrial nondestructive testing, scientific instruments and advanced manufacturing inspection. The work draws on the team’s sustained research in photodetectors, TFTs and image sensors, as well as Peking University’s expertise in integrated circuits and optoelectronic detection. Research spans materials, devices, fabrication processes, circuits and imaging systems, alongside efforts to translate laboratory findings into industrial applications.
The team has developed a portfolio of intellectual property covering perovskite thin-film phototransistors, image-sensor pixel units and fabrication processes. It has also demonstrated dynamic imaging using perovskite detectors, providing a foundation for further development of high-performance detectors for industrial CT, medical imaging and scientific inspection.The team will continue its research on high-performance X-ray detection and intelligent imaging, bringing together advances in perovskite materials, detector devices and imaging systems to support commercialization and the development of high-end X-ray detectors and smart sensing technologies in China.
