Electro Optics Magazine has recognized Dr. Richard Kim, Director of R&D at LASER COMPONENTS Detector Group, as one of the Photonics 100. This list honors the industry’s most influential professionals. Dr. Kim is now the third member of our global R&D leadership team to receive this distinction.
Since joining LASER COMPONENTS in 2023, Dr. Kim has advanced our detector portfolio, including avalanche photodiodes (APDs), photoconductive (PbS & PbSe), and pyroelectric detectors. His work has contributed to key applications such as gas sensing, defense and aerospace, spectroscopy, and industrial safety.
A key achievement was the introduction of the IG26H Series, an extended InGaAs PIN photodiode optimized for reverse-bias operation. Featuring high shunt resistance, low dark current, and excellent linearity in low-light environments, this device expands IR detection in areas such as gas and moisture monitoring, as well as FTIR spectroscopy.
Dr. Kim also led novel research into PbS detector reliability, using impedance spectroscopy to diagnose degradation mechanisms. The findings have guided new screening methods to improve quality control and long-term performance.
With over 60 conference presentations and published papers, and dozens of U.S. and international patents, Dr. Kim brings decades of expertise to LASER COMPONENTS. In his earlier career in California, he developed various semiconductor technologies, including mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detectors based on InAsSb, InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice (T2SL) structures, as well as MWIR integrated chip LEDs (ICLEDs), silicon UV detectors, and photonic integrated waveguide circuits including optical modulators, shifters, switches, and multimode interferometers (MMIs).
