CMOS-compatible retinomorphic Si photodetector for motion detection

Efficient motion detection is essential for the Internet of Things. However, it suffers from overloading redundant static background information. Inspired by the human visual system, which is efficient in motion detection, we propose a silicon-based retinomorphic photodetector with a simple metal/insulator/semiconductor (MIS) structure, which is compatible with the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) industry. In contrast to conventional photodetectors that generate a sustained photocurrent, our retinomorphic photodetector is sensitive only to the change in light intensity and therefore filters the redundant static background. In addition, it shows logarithmic dependence on the light intensity, which simplifies the contrast ratio measurement. Based on our moving object recognition experiment, after filtering background information, the information to be analyzed is reduced to 27.3%, thereby improving the image recognition efficiency in the subsequent processing tasks. This innovative and industry-compatible retinomorphic photodetector will facilitate the construction of future efficient motion detection systems.