High-gain photodiodes for non-invasive medical diagnostics
Novel sensors for the non-invasive, high-sensitivity measurement of biomarkers such as glucose, lactate and urea.
As part of our ongoing market discovery, we would welcome discussions with providers and users of existing non-invasive measurement devices.
Background
The demand for non-invasive continuous health monitoring is shifting from general wellness tracking towards clinical-grade diagnostic performance. As consumer wearables and small portable devices evolve to support critical health decisions, such as monitoring glucose and lactate levels, the underlying sensor hardware must provide a level of signal integrity that ensures data reliability across diverse user populations.
Standard silicon-based detectors are currently the mainstream solution for wearable optical modules, yet they are physically limited to wavelengths below 1.1 μm. At these lower wavelengths, biological signals are weak and heavily obscured by skin pigment (melanin) interference. This detector wavelength limitation often results in noisy data that requires aggressive software filtering, leading to reduced accuracy and high power consumption. To achieve a truly reliable non-invasive solution, the 2 to 3.5 μm fingerprint region can be the solution, where molecular signatures are stronger and most distinct.
Solution
Our solution provides a high-performance indium arsenide (InAs) avalanche photodiode (APD) designed for seamless integration into next-generation non-invasive optical health modules. Our novel APD integrates avalanche gain technology to provide internal signal amplification at the hardware level, significantly boosting sensitivity without increasing system power consumption.
By enabling high-sensitivity detection in the 2 to 3.5 μm range, our APD allows system integrators to capture fundamental molecular vibrations that are 10-100 times stronger than traditional near-infrared (NIR) echoes.
Benefits
- Superior signal-to-noise ratio: internal avalanche gain pulls faint glucose and lactate signals out of background noise without increasing the light source power.
- Multi-biomarker capability: a single APD component can detect glucose, lactate and urea simultaneously due to its broad spectral response.
- Room temperature operation.
- Seamless integration.
- Medical grade accuracy potential: high-quality raw data enhances the diagnostic accuracy.
- Enhanced battery longevity: exceptional detector sensitivity allows for lower light power, thus reducing the system's power consumption (for wearables).
Intellectual property
This innovation is patent pending.