Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

MIT Vivienne Sze's presentation on energy efficient processing has a part about low power ToF imaging:


Intel announces an long range version of its active stereo 3D camera Realsense D455:

"The D455 camera increases the optimal range to 6 meters, making it twice as accurate as the current D400 cameras without sacrificing field of view. The D455 also includes global shutters for the depth and RGB sensors to improve correspondence between the two different data streams and to match the field of view between the depth sensors and the RGB sensor. In addition, this camera also integrates an IMU to allow for refinement of its depth awareness in any situation where the camera moves.

The D455 achieves less than 2% Z-error at 4 meters with several improvements. First, the depth sensors are located 95 millimeters apart, providing greater depth accuracy at a longer range. Second, the depth and RGB sensors are placed on the same stiffener, resulting in an improved alignment of color and depth. Lastly, the RGB sensor has the same field of view as the depth sensors, further improving correlation of depth and color points."


Sharp presentation on its distance measuring sensors explains their operation:


Sharp also makes SPAD-based ToF distance sensors:

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

PRNewswire: SmartSens Technology has completed acquisition and merger with Shenzhen-based 8-year old Allchip Microelectronics. SmartSens expects its acquisition and integration of Allchip further improve its cost structure and competitiveness in the automotive market while accelerating its innovation in smart car CIS solutions. Allchip products include a series of SOC image sensors that have been widely deployed in automobile cameras and other miniaturized video surveillance applications.

"The increasing adoption of image sensors in automobiles has brought new momentum to the imaging market. According to a projection by research firm Yole Développement, the volume of camera modules in the global automobile market will exceed US$8B by 2025. Our acquisition of Allchip Microelectronics is a strategic move for SmartSens that will significantly broaden our leadership and capacity in addressing this market," said Richard Xu, Founder and CEO of SmartSens. "Our combined advantage -- utilizing shared resources and technologies -- will deliver a true win-win for us and our customers, for years to come."

"We are thrilled to be part of the SmartSens family. We share the same set of core values, which emphasize the pursuit of technology innovation in service of our customers' needs. We look forward to combining Allchip's technical know-how in the automotive industry with SmartSens' excellent business channel to successfully launch class-leading products for Automotive ADAS systems and other smart sensing applications," said Mike Hu, current VP of Technology at SmartSens and former CEO of Allchip. Mr. Hu is a veteran in CMOS image sensor field since his key role in BYD Microelectronics time as the CTO back in ten years ago.

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

University of Wisconsin–Madison: In a dark room or a motion-heavy scene, conventional cameras face a choice: a quick look that freezes movement nicely but turns out dark, or a longer exposure that captures more light but blurs moving parts.

“That’s always been a fundamental trade-off in any kind of photography,” says Mohit Gupta, a University of Wisconsin–Madison computer sciences professor. “But we are working on overcoming that trade-off with a different kind of sensor.”

The researchers are using SPADs for what they call quanta burst photography — taking many images in bursts, and then processing those many images to squeeze one good picture from a poorly lit or fast-moving subject. The EPFL The SwissSPAD array from Edoardo Charbon's group used in the burst photography work is fast enough to record 100,000 single-photon frames per second.

“The result is good image quality in low-light, with reduced motion blur, as well as a wide dynamic range,” says Gupta, whose work is supported by the DARPA. “We have had good results even when the brightest spot in view is getting 100,000 times as much light as the darkest.”


The paper also compares the algorithms running on SPAD and Jot-based sensors:

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

BusinessWire: It appears that Outsight gives up on its own LiDAR hardware and switches over to Velodyne as the companies jointly announce a multi-year partnership agreement.

Velodyne’s lidar sensors enable the 3D Semantic Camera solution to capture 3D data and track people and objects in a way that preserves anonymity and trust. The autonomous system merges lidar data capture with RGB color data with an embedded AI processing unit to create a premises-wide, detailed situational understanding of facilities, such as airports, shopping malls and train stations.

“Velodyne’s lidar sensors play an essential role in helping our platform capture, process and understand congested environments so operators can work to increase operational efficiency and security,” said Cedric Hutchings, CEO, Outsight. “The Velodyne lidar sensors allow us to track each individual person and object with centimeter-level precision. They enable our solutions to precisely monitor movements, velocity and interactions between all persons and objects in real time.”

AEye publishes "Time of Flight vs. FMCW LiDAR: A Side-by-Side Comparison" whitepaper which is supposed to debunk FMCW companies' claims:


UCB publishes a PhD Thesis on FMCW LiDAR "FMCW Lidar: Scaling to the Chip-Level and Improving Phase-Noise-Limited Performance" by Phillip Sandborn.

"In this dissertation, I present my work in chip-scale integration of optical and electronic components for application in coherent lidar techniques. First, I will summarize the work to integrate a typically bulky FMCW lidar control system onto an optoelectronic chip-stack. The chip-stack consists of an SOI silicon-photonics chip and a standard CMOS chip. The chip was used in an imaging system to generate 3D images with as little as 10um depth precision at standoff distances of 30cm.

Second, I will summarize my work in implementing and analyzing a new post-processing method for FMCW lidar signals, called "multi-synchronous re-sampling" (MK-re-sampling)."


Forbes publishes an interview-based article "The Big Bend Theory And Beyond- Are We There Yet?"

"I interviewed 4 companies that approach solid-state LiDAR in different ways – technically and from a market perspective. They include Quanergy, Lumotive, Draper Labs and Baraja. I would like to thank them for being transparent and sharing the level of detail they have."

Livox extends the range of its Tele-15 automotive LiDAR to 320m:

"Now, objects with low reflectivity have an increased detection range of 60% from 200 meters to 320 meters at 10% reflectivity, and it will also detect objects at 500m with 50% reflectivity, previously requiring 80% reflectivity at that distance. Additionally, Tele-15 now supports a custom firmware, increasing detection range to a maximum of 1000 meters.

The Livox Tele-15 sensor is available for purchase today for $1,499."

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

Applied Research LLC; Rockville, MD, USA publishes MDPI paper "Demosaicing of CFA 3.0 with Applications to Low Lighting Images" by by Chiman Kwan, Jude Larkin, and Bulent Ayhan.

"Low lighting images usually contain Poisson noise, which is pixel amplitude-dependent. More panchromatic or white pixels in a color filter array (CFA) are believed to help the demosaicing performance in dark environments. In this paper, we first introduce a CFA pattern known as CFA 3.0 that has 75% white pixels, 12.5% green pixels, and 6.25% of red and blue pixels. We then present algorithms to demosaic this CFA, and demonstrate its performance for normal and low lighting images.

In addition, a comparative study was performed to evaluate the demosaicing performance of three CFAs, namely the Bayer pattern (CFA 1.0), the Kodak CFA 2.0, and the proposed CFA 3.0. Using a clean Kodak dataset with 12 images, we emulated low lighting conditions by introducing Poisson noise into the clean images. In our experiments, normal and low lighting images were used. For the low lighting conditions, images with signal-to-noise (SNR) of 10 dBs and 20 dBs were studied. We observed that the demosaicing performance in low lighting conditions was improved when there are more white pixels.

Moreover, denoising can further enhance the demosaicing performance for all CFAs. The most important finding is that CFA 3.0 performs better than CFA 1.0, but is slightly inferior to CFA 2.0, in low lighting images."

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

i-Micronews: Chinese OLED screen company Visionox is the first to present under-display selfie camera solution for mass-produces smartphones, Visionox Inv See:

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

PRNewswire: Axcelis announces that it has shipped the first Purion XEmax high energy system to a "leading CMOS image sensor manufacturer." The system is a new tool evaluation and has been shipped in Q2.

"The new Purion XEmax high energy implanter was designed for emerging, high performance image sensor applications," Bill Bintz, Executive Vice President, Product Development explained. "The enhanced beamline features multiple filtration systems to eliminate energetic metal contaminants which can otherwise result in compromised dark current and white pixel count levels. The new system is built on the industry leading Purion XE high energy implant platform and features Axcelis' new patented Boost Technology, which delivers beam energies up to 15 MeV. With innovative new technology, the Purion XEmax is delivering the tightest angle and overall process control to enable higher quality photodiode performance for next generation CIS devices."

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 690 5G platform with ISP than rivals high-end smartphones from 2 years ago:

"Vivid 4K HDR video recording is new to this series and have fun with up to 192 MP photo capture, both produce professional-quality photos and videos. And now, with 5G connectivity, 4K HDR streaming delivers vibrant, immersive entertainment."


Even Qualcomm Robotics RB5 platform supports high resolution imaging:

"Qualcomm Spectra™ 480 Image Signal Processor (ISP) captures fast, professional-quality photos and videos, and can process 2 Gigapixels per second. This Gigapixel speed supports superior camera features, including Dolby Vision video capture, 8K video recording (at 30 FPS) and 200-megapixel photos, and simultaneously captures 4K HDR video (at 120 FPS) and 64 MP photos with zero shutter lag. The hardware accelerator utilizes the Engine for Video Analytics (EVA) to handle all Computer Vision (CV) tasks. Additional ISP features include HEIF photo capture, slow motion video capture, and advanced video capture formats (including Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HEVC and HLG). Seven concurrent cameras facilitate simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), object detection and classification, autonomous navigation and path planning to efficiently and safely perform tasks in complex indoor and outdoor settings."

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

Gpixel announces the further expansion of its GSENSE product family with the GSENSE1516BSI, a large format BSI CMOS sensor for high-end scientific applications. The sensor is designed around Gpixel’s 15 µm rolling shutter pixel, provides 4096 x 4096 resolution (16.7 MP), and supports up to 9fps in dual gain HDR mode.

Like other sensors in the GSENSE family, the GSENSE1516BSI can read out a single exposure with two different gain settings, providing two separate images that when recombined achieve up to 90dB intra-scene dynamic range. Using the low gain channel, the sensor’s full well capacity is 134ke–, maximizing signal to noise in the bright parts of the image. Through the high gain channel, the sensor achieves a read noise of 4e–, perfect for the measurement of faint signals.

The 15 µm pixel has 95% peak QE. Engineering samples of the GSENSE1516BSI will be available for evaluation in July 2020.

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

PRNewswire: SmartSens announces the launch of SC200AI sensor, the first of its Advanced Imaging (AI) series product lineup—high-performance, low-light-capable image sensor with advanced HDR capabilities and reliability in harsh environments. It features the latest BSI SmartClarity pixel as well as full-color night vision technology, employing a proprietary SFC (Source Follower Centric) enhanced design architecture to increase signal sensitivity and reduce noise levels, resulting in higher SNR and HDR performance.

Compared to previous generations of SmartSens image sensors, the SC200AI improves both sensitivity (27%) and SNRmax (250%). SC200AI also improves color reproduction by lowering Red-to-Green Channel Crosstalk by 36%. The SC200AI also has a 56% reduced dark current compared to previous generations of SmartSens image sensors.

“SC200AI marks a new chapter in our Smart Sensor offerings by dramatically enhancing the image quality across the board and lowering image noise levels in high-temperature environments,” said Chris Yiu, CMO of SmartSens. “As the latest member of our 1/2.8” 1080P product family, the SC200AI is fully Pin2Pin compatible with previous generation products. SmartSens continues to expand our supply chain and capacity support while delivering new technology that elevates the performance of our solutions in the security camera sector.”

The SC200AI Image Sensor line is available for sampling immediately, with mass production expected in late-June.

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

ResearchGate publishes SPIE presentation "Color imaging sensors with perovskite alloys" by Mohammad Ismail Hossain, Wayesh Qarony, Haris Ahmad Khan, Masayuki Kozawa, Alberto Salleo, Jon Yngve Hardeberg, Hiroyuki Fujiwara, Yuen Hong Tsang, and Dietmar Knipp from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Gifu University (Japan), and Stanford University:

"The conventional optical color sensors consist of side by side arranged optical filters for three basic colors (blue, green, and red). Hence, the efficiency of such optical color sensors is limited by only 33%. In this study, vertically stacked color sensor is investigated with perovskite alloys, which has a potential to provide the efficiency approaching 100%. The proposed optical sensor will not be limited by color Moire error or color aliasing. Perovskite materials with suitable bandgaps are determined by applying energy shifting model and the optical constants are used for the further investigations. Quantum efficiencies and spectral responsivities of the described color sensors are investigated by three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations. Investigated spectral sensitivities are further analysed for the colorimetric characterization. Finally, the performance of the investigated sensor is compared with conventional filter based optical color sensors. Details on the used materials, the device design, and the colorimetric analysis are provided."

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

CEA-Leti publishes PhD Thesis "Test and characterization of 3D high-density interconnects" by Imed Jani.

"Compared to μ-bumps, Cu-Cu hybrid bonding provides an alternative for future scaling below 10μm pitch with improved physical properties but that generates new challenges for test and characterization; the smaller the Cu pad size, the more the fabrication and bonding defects have an important impact on yield and performance. Defects such as bonding misalignment, micro-voids and contact defects at the copper surface, can affect the electrical characteristics and the life time of 3D-IC considerably.

Moreover, test infrastructure insertion for HD 3D-ICs presents new challenges because of the high interconnects density and the area cost for test features. Hence, in this thesis work, an innovative misalignment test structure has been developed and implemented in short-loop way. The proposed approach allows to measure accurately bonding misalignment, know the misalignment direction and estimate the contact resistance. Afterwards, a theoretical study has been performed to define the most optimized DFT infrastructure depending on the minimum acceptable pitch value for a given technology node to ensure the testability of high-density 3D-ICs."

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

Android Authority talks about a trend of increasing the sensor size in smartphone cameras:


"Previously, it seemed impossible to stuff a sensor this large in a phone. Phones were just too small, and focus was put on making devices thinner and thinner. It was hard to make a lens system that didn’t bulge out of the device to an extreme degree. But, as phones have gotten bigger and cameras have gotten more important to users, big camera bumps have started to become both justified and normalized. Instead of looking clunky and out of place, large camera bumps have started to become a sign of a phone’s optical capabilities."

Counterpoint Research sees this trend too:

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

EPIC Online Technology Meeting on Structured Light and Computer Vision features Prophesee presentation on use of its event-driven sensor for 3D structured-light camera:

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

Agricultural University of Georgia, country of Georgia, publishes MSc Thesis "Characterization of Silicon Photomultipliers for Detector Developments" by Davit Kordzaia.

"The SiPM has been given several denominations by different institutes and manufacturers, such as:

• MPGM APD (multi-pixel Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode)
• AMPD (avalanche micro-pixel photodiode)
• SSPM (solid state photomultiplier)
• G-APD or GM-APD (Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode)
• DPPD (digital pixel photodiode)
• MPPC (multi-pixel photon counter)
• MAD (multi-cell avalanche diode)

This thesis is focused on investigating the processes of charge release and the photon detection efficiency (PDE) recovery of the SiPM, vital for understanding the linearity and the saturation phenomenon of the sensor. The experiment has been conducted on a single SPAD (Single Photon Avalanche Diode) level, instead of the entire sensitive area of the SiPM. This work offers a complete overview of investigation of the surface cover, for achieving the single SPAD illumination, development of the readout electronics and implementation of different apparatus and measurement methods used to perform the experiment."

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

Digitimes expects Omnivision to enjoy the high-resolution CIS boom starting later in 2020 on rising the popularity of high-spec smartphones and other mobile devices. China-based smartphone manufacturers will be aggressively promoting high-spec smartphones at more affordable prices later in 2020, the newspaper's sources tell.

Other than having production-ready 48MP and 64MP products in its portfolio, Omnivision is a part of Shanghai-based Will Semiconductor now. As such, Omnivision is expected to be be among the beneficiaries of China's push to self-sufficiency in semiconductors, Digitimes sources say.

Another Digitimes article says that GM, Ford, Hyundai, and Volkswagen are to roll out robotaxis (with Level 4-5 autonomous driving) with LiDARs in 2020-2022, while Honda, Lexus, BMW, and Volvo are developing Level 3 autonomous vehicles with LiDAR. This indicates LiDAR will become a standard spec for Level 3 and above autonomous vehicles.

Audi is contemplating cancelling its Level 3 vehicles as the regulations governing autonomous vehicles have yet to be adopted or revised in many countries. Japan has allowed Level 3 autonomous cars to run on roads in the country starting April 2020, and the US, China and European Union have not readied their relevant regulations.

BusinessWire: AEye announced that their 4Sight M 1550nm LiDAR combo has established a new standard for sensor reliability. In testing completed at NTS the 4Sight M scan block surpassed automotive qualification for both shock and vibe. The results of the test showed a 4Sight Sensor can sustain a mechanical shock of over 50G, random vibration of over 12Grms (5-2000Hz), and sustained vibration of over 3G.

The size of the mirror in a MEMS largely determines its reliability. Larger mirrors also have larger inertia, generating 10x to 600x more torque from shock and vibration events. In addition, larger mirrors do not allow for fast, quasi-static movement for agile scanning, which is key to intelligent and reliable artificial perception. Learn more here.

The unique system design of AEye’s MEMS allows a mirror that is less than 1mm in size. Other LiDAR systems use 3mm to 25mm mirrors – which equates to 10X – 600X larger surface area.


Forbes publishes an interview with Shauna McIntyre, new CEO at Sense Photonics:

"A phrase she likes to repeat is “hardware is the gateway.” It’s the combination of Sense’s hardware and software that’s challenged the notion of the stereotypical big rotating unit on the top of autonomous vehicles when one thinks about LiDAR- the laser radar sensing system most automakers install on their autonomous vehicles.

Sense’s system, called Flash LiDAR, is solid state and has no moving parts or spinning coffee can-like devices atop a vehicle. The laser emitter and detector are separate, small units that can be embedded into a vehicle’s design. For instance, the emitter can be hidden behind a headlight and the detector behind the windshield."

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

Evertiq: TriEye has officially revealed Sparrow – its first CMOS-based SWIR camera. Among the companies that are collaborating with TriEye and are evaluating the Sparrow is DENSO, in addition to Porsche that made an investment in the company back in 2019.

The sensor is particularly effective in low visibility conditions such as identifying black ice, dark clothed pedestrians, and cyclists - all under low-light or other common low visibility conditions, detection scenarios that are paramount for the automotive industry.

“We are proud and delighted to announce our collaboration with DENSO which marks a meaningful step forward in delivering our mission of solving the low visibility challenge,” says Avi Bakal, TriEye’s Co-Founder and CEO. “The joint work has been greatly beneficial since day one, bringing together DENSO’s innovative approach and market experience with TriEye groundbreaking technology.“

TriEye aims to make SWIR cameras affordable and accessible for the global mass market. The release of Sparrow marks a major milestone towards that goal. The company is expected to launch the first samples of Raven, said to be the world's first CMOS-based SWIR HD camera, later this year.

TriEye’s SWIR camera can be integrated as a standard visible camera and can reuse existing visible image AI algorithms, which saves the effort of recollecting and annotating millions of miles.

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

IC Insights forecasts:

"The fallout from the Covid-19 virus crisis in 2020 is expected to lower CMOS image sensor sales for the first time in 10 years, but new record-high revenues are seen next year.

Driven by camera phones and the rapid spread of new embedded applications, CMOS image sensors were the fastest growing semiconductor product category in the last decade with sales quadrupling between 2010 and 2019 to reach $18.4 billion last year. CMOS image sensors set nine consecutive record-high sales levels in the last nine years, but that streak is expected to end in 2020 with revenues falling 4% and unit growth being nearly flat as a result of the economic fallout from the Covid-19 virus crisis and a global recession.

CMOS image sensor sales are forecast to drop to $17.8 billion in 2020 after surging 30% in 2019, according to IC Insights. CMOS image sensor sales rebounding 15% in 2021 to reach a new all-time high of $20.4 billion. The report’s forecast assumes containment of the coronavirus occurs by mid-year and market demand gradually recovering during the second half of 2020.

Between 2019 and 2024, CMOS image sensor revenues are projected to increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% to $26.1 billion in the final year. During last decade (2010-2019), CMOS image sensor sales climbed by a CAGR of 16.9%, rising from $4.5 billion 10 years ago to $18.4 billion last year. In that same timeframe, microprocessor sales grew by a CAGR of 5.9%, NAND flash memories increased by a rate of 7.8%, non-optical sensors were up by 10.0%, and the total semiconductor market expanded by an annual rate of 3.7%. Only pressure sensors (which include MEMS microphone chips) had a CAGR sales growth rate nearly matching CMOS image sensors in the 2010-2019 period.

In the first 10-15 years of this century CMOS image sensor sales growth was mostly fueled by higher volume shipments of camera-equipped cellphones, but this wave began to slow with the saturation of the mobile phone market. In the last decade, a new round of growth took off from the spread of embedded digital imaging systems, including more cameras for automotive safety and driver-assist capabilities in vehicles, machine vision for built-in automation and system intelligence, medical applications, human and face recognition, wearable cameras, 3D video, virtual/augmented reality, and other uses beyond camera phones and stand-alone cameras. On top of that, more digital cameras with fast high-resolution CMOS sensors are also being packed in a growing number of smartphones."

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

The Korea Herald: SK Telecom has signed contracts with major IT firms to develop security products for self-driving vehicles, IoT devices and smartphones using its new image-sensor-based security chipset. Names of the partners were not disclosed.

SK Telecom’s QRNG chipset features impenetrable encryption, the company said during a press event. The system, patented by Swiss-based ID Quantique, cannot be breached by computer logic as the codes are created by random movements of photons that travel between an LED light source and a CMOS image sensor equipped in the chipset designed together with fabless Korean company Btree.

“The QRNG can become an alternative encryption system in the advent of quantum computers, which can easily decode existing encryption systems,” said Uhm Sang-yun, ID Quantique’s Korean branch manager. The chipset can also process 256,000 keys per second to encrypt and decrypt data or files -- a much larger capacity than existing 128-bit encryption.

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

Sony has added SNR1s figures to its table of security and surveillance sensors:

Go to the original article...

Image Sensors World        Go to the original article...

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, publishes a paper "A Soft Humanoid Hand with In-Finger Visual Perception" by Felix Hundhausen, Julia Starke, and Tamim Asfour.

"We present a novel underactued humanoid five finger soft hand, the KIT softhand, which is equipped with cameras in the fingertips and i