PbS colloidal quantum dot visible-blind photodetector for early indoor fire detection

We report on a novel optical fire detector based on a PbS colloidal quantum dot photodetector. The sensor is realized with a simple, cost effective, drop casting technique. The photodetector is characterized in terms of its electrical characteristics, responsivity, and specific detectivity to monochromatic light. We demonstrate effective indoor fire detection at a distance exceeding 20 m with a 120° field of view. We also show a twofold improvement of the detector signal to noise ratio exploiting a short focal lens.