The Focus-Induced Photoresponse (FIP) enables 3D sensing capabilities by evaluating the irradiance dependent non-linear detector response in defect-based materials. Since this advantage is intricately associated to a slow response, the electrical bandwidth of previous FIP sensors is limited to a few kHz only. We report the FIP in amorphous silicon pin photodiodes and propose a sensor read out based on a harmonics analyses. We achieve modulation frequencies of 500 kHz and a non-linear beat frequency detection up to at least 3.5 MHz, surpassing the bandwidth of state-of-the-art architectures by at least a factor of 175. The FIP sensors further achieve signal-to-noise ratios of ∼50 dB, depth resolutions of at least 5.4 mm at 126 cm and a DC FIP detection limit of 1.3 μW/mm2.

A large and growing number of applications benefit from simple, fast and highly sensitive 3D imaging sensors. The Focus-Induced Photoresponse (FIP) can achieve 3D sensing functionalities by simply evaluating the irradiance dependent nonlinear sensor response in defect-based materials. Since this advantage is intricately associated to a slow response, the electrical bandwidth of present FIP detectors is limited to a few kHz only. The devices presented in this work enable modulation frequencies of 700 kHz and beat frequency detection up to at least 3.8 MHz, surpassing the bandwidth of reported device architectures by more than two orders of magnitude. The sensors achieve a SNR of at least ∼53dB at 115cm and a DC FIP detection limit of 0.6 µW/mm2. The mature and scalable low-temperature a-Si:H process technology allows operating the device under ambient air conditions waiving additional back-end passivation, geometrical fill factors of 100% and tailoring the FIP towards adjustable 3D sensing applications.