Russian Quantum-Dot Sensor Arrays Could Transform Infrared Cameras
The modern world is giving machines ever better vision. From self-driving cars to agricultural drones, machines need to see the world at least as well as humans do – and sometimes better. Human vision has its limits. In fog, smoke or darkness, the world can dissolve into a gray haze. Computer vision does not have to share those limitations.
At the Microelectronics 2026 forum, Shvabe Holding, part of Rostec, unveiled a new generation of focal plane arrays for infrared cameras operating across the extended short-wave infrared, or eSWIR, spectral range. The range covers not only short-wave infrared radiation but also visible light, giving the sensors a much broader view of their surroundings.
How the Technology Is Advancing
A conventional camera sees essentially what the human eye does – light in the visible spectrum. But fog, smoke, darkness or dust can effectively blind it. Short-wave infrared, or SWIR, cameras can see more because they detect infrared wavelengths that can penetrate smoke and fog. The problem is that these cameras are expensive and difficult to manufacture.
Russian scientists have proposed replacing the conventional, expensive materials used for a camera's light-sensitive layer with colloidal quantum dots. These tiny crystals, measuring 2 to 10 nanometers, have an unusual property: their size determines the wavelengths of light they absorb and emit. Smaller dots correspond to blue light, larger ones to red, and still larger ones to infrared. By changing the size of the dots in the layer, researchers can tune a camera to the desired range, from visible light to infrared. The material itself can also be deposited onto a substrate much like paint or ink, a process that is far simpler and cheaper than growing complex semiconductor structures.
The new technology is being developed by Orion, a State Research Center of the Russian Federation and part of Shvabe Holding, in close collaboration with the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the Ioffe Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with support from Russia's Foundation for Advanced Research.
From Art Conservation to Waste Sorting
In 2021, Shvabe's SWIR cameras successfully passed tests in the Arctic's extreme climate. At a specialized exhibition, the company also presented other technologies, including cameras designed to detect fires, explosives and hazardous chemicals. Government agencies working in these areas, including Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, have adopted the technologies.
In 2022, the technology found a role in art conservation. The cameras helped restorers at the Museum of Russian Icons examine hidden layers in artworks to determine their authenticity. In 2023, SWIR cameras were put to work analyzing rocks and sorting waste by identifying material characteristics.
Last year, Russia's first focal plane array detector based on colloidal quantum dots was unveiled. Now the country's photonics industry has added another set of highly sophisticated microelectronic components – eSWIR arrays. To develop imaging detectors and machine-vision arrays from the underlying technology through the finished components, Shvabe brought together leading design bureaus and research institutes. Russian developers say producing extended-spectrum sensors domestically reduces dependence on foreign suppliers of sophisticated components.
Eyes for Future Technologies
The new generation of arrays could serve as the foundation for machine-vision systems capable of operating in extreme conditions. Where conventional cameras go blind, eSWIR sensors can keep seeing. In medicine, they could enable more accurate diagnostics. In transportation, they could improve the vision systems used by autonomous cars and trains in poor weather. In agriculture, drones could use them to monitor plants and soil and detect water stress at an early stage. In energy and environmental monitoring, the sensors could help find gas leaks and monitor natural environments. The technology could also support more capable security systems and smarter monitoring of urban infrastructure.
Russia's video surveillance market reached 67.6 billion rubles in 2025. By 2030, it could double to 135 billion rubles. The market for lower-cost SWIR sensors is now developing rapidly, with demand growing in industrial automation, robotics and environmental monitoring. Shvabe's technology is expected to become one of the major products in this market.
