【#Tech24H】On March 30, Xidian University successfully developed a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) chip based on silicon-germanium technology, significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of short-wave infrared detection. The team used a silicon-germanium epitaxial platform for material growth and fabricated the detector using a standard silicon-based CMOS process, extending the detection range into the short-wave infrared band. This means the team is producing short-wave infrared detectors—once prohibitively expensive—at a cost comparable to manufacturing smartphone chips. This breakthrough is expected to bring high-end chips, which previously cost thousands of dollars each, into applications such as smartphones and automotive LiDAR at just one percent of the cost.