Archives for June 2023

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A recent preprint titled "Practical Entropy Accumulation for Random Number Generators with Image Sensor-Based Quantum Noise Sources" by Choi et al. is available here:  https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202306.1169/v1

 Abstract: The efficient generation of high-quality random numbers is essential in the operation of cryptographic modules. The quality of a random number generator is evaluated by the min-entropy of its entropy source. Typical method used to achieve high min-entropy of the output sequence is an entropy accumulation based on a hash function. This is grounded in the famous Leftover Hash Lemma which guarantees a lower bound on the min-entropy of the output sequence. However, the hash function based entropy accumulation has slow speed in general. For a practical perspective we need a new efficient entropy accumulation with the theoretical background for the min-entropy of the output sequence. In this work, we obtain the theoretical bound for the min-entropy of the output random sequence through the very efficient entropy accumulation using only bitwise XOR operations, where the input sequences from the entropy source are independent. Moreover we examine our theoretical results by applying to the quantum random number generator that uses dark noise arising from image sensor pixels as its entropy source.

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	RADOPT 2023: Workshop on Radiation Effects on      Optoelectronic Detectors and Photonics Technologies 28-30 Nov 2023 Toulouse (France)

First Call for Papers

You are cordially invited to participate to the second edition of the RADECS Workshop on Radiation Effects on Optoelectronics and Photonics Technologies (RADOPT 2023) to be held on 28^th-30^th November 2023 in Toulouse, France.

After the success of RADOPT 2021, this second edition of the workshop, will continue to combine and replace two well-known events from the Photonic Devices and IC’s community: the “Optical Fibers in Radiation Environments Days -FMR” and the Radiation effects on Optoelectronic Detectors Workshop, traditionally organized every-two years by the COMET OOE of CNES.

The objective of the workshop is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of recent developments regarding the use of optoelectronics and photonics technologies in radiation-rich environments The workshop also offers the opportunity to highlight future prospects in the fast-moving space, high energy physics, fusion and fission research fields and to enhance exchanges and collaborations between scientists. Participation of young researchers (PhD) is especially encouraged.
Oral and poster communications are solicited reporting on original research (both experimental and theoretical) in the following areas:

• Basic Mechanisms of radiation effects on optical properties of materials, devices and systems
• Silicon Photonics, Photonic Integrated Circuits
• Solar Cells
• Cameras, Image sensors and detectors
• Optically based dosimetry and beam monitoring techniques
• Fiber optics and fiber-based sensors
• Optoelectronics components and systems

Abstract Submission and Decision Notification:

Abstracts for both oral and poster presentations can be submitted. The final decision will be taken by the RADOPT Scientific Committee.

·       Abstract submission open: Monday April 3^rd, 2023

·       Abstract submission deadline: Friday July 9^th, 2023

à Send abstract to clementine.durnez@cnes.fr

Industrial Exhibition

An industrial exhibition will be organized during RADOPT 2023. The location allows the exhibits to be located adjacent to the auditorium where the oral sessions will be delivered. Please contact us for more details.

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The IEEE International Conference on Computational Photography (ICCP) program is now available online: https://iccp2023.iccp-conference.org/conference-program/

ICCP is an in-person conference to be held at the Monona Terrace Conventional Center in Madison, WI (USA) from July 28-30, 2023.

Early registration ends June 22: https://iccp2023.iccp-conference.org/registration/

Friday, July 28th

09:00 Opening Remarks

09:30 Session 1: Polarization and HDR Imaging
1) Learnable Polarization-multiplexed Modulation Imager for Depth from Defocus
2) Polarization Multi-Image Synthesis with Birefringent Metasurfaces
3) Glare Removal for Astronomical Images with High Local Dynamic Range
4) Polarimetric Imaging Spaceborne Calibration Using Zodiacal Light

10:30 Invited Talk: Melissa Skala (UW-Madison)
Unraveling Immune Cell Metabolism and Function at Single-cell Resolution

11:00 Coffee break

11:30 Keynote: Aki Roberge (NASA)
Towards Earth 2.0: Exoplanets and Future Space Telescopes

12:30 Lunch; Industry Consortium Mentorship Event

14:00 Invited Talk: Lei Li (Rice)
New Generation Photoacoustic Imaging: From Benchtop Wholebody Imagers to Wearable Sensors

14:30 Session 2: Emerging and Unconventional Computational Sensing
1) CoIR: Compressive Implicit Radar
2) Parallax-Driven Denoising of Passively-Scattered Thermal Imagery
3) Moiré vision: A signal processing technology beyond pixels using the Moiré coordinate

15:15 Poster and demo Spotlights

15:30 Coffee break

16:00 Poster and demo Session 1

17:30 Community Poster and Demo Session

Saturday, July 29th

09:00 Invited Talk: Ellen Zhong (Princeton)
Machine Learning for Determining Protein Structure and Dynamics from Cryo-EM Images

09:30 Session 3: Neural and Generative Methods in Imaging
1) Learn to Synthesize Photorealistic Dual-pixel Images from RGBD frames
2) Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Model for Retinal Image Generation and Segmentation
3) NeReF: Neural Refractive Field for Fluid Surface Reconstruction and Rendering
4) Supervision by Denoising

10:30 Invited Talk: Karen Schloss (UW-Madison)

11:00 Coffee break

11:30 Keynote: Aaron Hertzmann (Adobe)
A Perceptual Theory of Perspective

12:30 Lunch; Affinity Group Meetings

14:00 Invited Talk: Na Ji (UC Berkeley)

14:30 Session 4: Measuring Spectrum and Reflectance
1) Spectral Sensitivity Estimation Without a Camera
2) A Compact BRDF Scanner with Multi-conjugate Optics
3) Measured Albedo in the Wild: Filling the Gap in Intrinsics Evaluation
4) Compact Self-adaptive Coding for Spectral Compressive Sensing

15:30 Industry Consortium Talk: Tomoo Mitsunaga (Sony)
Computational Image Sensing at Sony

16:00 Poster and Demo Spotlights

16:15 Coffee Break

16:45 Poster and Demo Session 2

18:15 Reception

Sunday, July 30th

09:00 Session 5: Depth and 3D Imaging
1) Near-light Photometric Stereo with Symmetric Lights
2) Aberration-Aware Depth-from-Focus
3) Count-Free Single-Photon 3D Imaging with Race Logic

09:45 Invited Talk: Jules Jaffe (Scripps & UCSD)
Welcome to the Underwater Micro World: The Art and Science of Underwater Microscopy

10:15 Coffee Break

10:45 Invited Talk: Hooman Mohseini (Northwestern University)
New Material and Devices for Imaging

11:15 Keynote: Eric Fossum (Dartmouth)
Quanta Image Sensors and Remaining Challenges

12:15 Lunch; Industry Consortium Mentorship Event

12:45 Lunch (served)

14:00 Session 6: NLOS Imaging and Imaging Through Scattering Media
1) Isolating Signals in Passive Non-Line-of-Sight Imaging using Spectral Content
2) Fast Non-line-of-sight Imaging with Non-planar Relay Surfaces
3) Neural Reconstruction through Scattering Media with Forward and Backward Losses

14:45 Invited Talk: Jasper Tan (Glass Imaging)
Towards the Next Generation of Smartphone Cameras

15:15 Session 7: Holography and Phase-based Imaging
1) Programmable Spectral Filter Arrays using Phase Spatial Light Modulators
2) Scattering-aware Holographic PIV with Physics-based Motion Priors
3) Stochastic Light Field Holography

16:00 Closing Remarks

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NEC develops the world's first highly sensitive uncooled infrared image sensor utilizing carbon nanotubes

- More than three times the sensitivity of conventional uncooled infrared image sensors -

TOKYO, Apr 10, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) has succeeded in developing the world's first high-sensitivity uncooled infrared image sensor that uses high-purity semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the infrared detection area. This was accomplished using NEC's proprietary extraction technology. NEC will work toward the practical application of this image sensor in 2025.

Infrared image sensors convert infrared rays into electrical signals to acquire necessary information, and can detect infrared rays emitted from people and objects even in the dark. Therefore, infrared image sensors are utilized in various fields to provide a safe and secure social infrastructure, such as night vision to support automobiles driving in the darkness, aircraft navigation support systems and security cameras.

There are two types of infrared image sensors, the "cooled type," which operates at extremely low temperatures, and the "uncooled type," which operates near room temperature. The cooled type is highly sensitive and responsive, but requires a cooler, which is large, expensive, consumes a great deal of electricity, and requires regular maintenance. On the other hand, the uncooled type does not require a cooler, enabling it to be compact, inexpensive, and to consume low power, but it has the issues of inferior sensitivity and resolution compared to the cooled type.

 

In 1991, NEC discovered CNTs for the first time in the world and is now a leader in research and development related to nanotechnology. In 2018, NEC developed a proprietary technology to extract only semiconducting-type CNTs at high purity from single-walled CNTs that have a mixture of metallic and semiconducting types. NEC then discovered that thin films of semiconducting-type CNTs extracted with this technology have a large temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) near room temperature.

The newly developed infrared image sensor is the result of these achievements and know-how. NEC applied semiconductor-type CNTs based on its proprietary technology that features a high TCR, which is an important index for high sensitivity. As a result, the new sensor achieves more than three times higher sensitivity than mainstream uncooled infrared image sensors using vanadium oxide or amorphous silicon.

The new device structure was achieved by combining the thermal separation structure used in uncooled infrared image sensors, the Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) device technology used to realize this structure, and the CNT printing and manufacturing technology cultivated over many years for printed transistors, etc. As a result, NEC has succeeded in operating a high-definition uncooled infrared image sensor of 640 x 480 pixels by arraying the components of the structure.

Part of this work was done in collaboration with Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). In addition, a part of this achievement was supported by JPJ004596, a security technology research promotion program conducted by Japan's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA).

Going forward, NEC will continue its research and development to further advance infrared image sensor technologies and to realize products and services that can contribute to various fields and areas of society.

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Webinar on latest trends in High-Speed Camera, Introducing the BSI Camera Sensor.

Join this free tech talk by our expert speakers of Phantom High-Speed Cameras - Vision Research in which we explore the latest trends in high-speed cameras focusing on Backside Illuminated (BSI) sensor cameras and the associated benefits of improved processing speed and fill factor along with the challenges in such high-speed designs.

Webinar registration [link]

Date: 22nd June 2023
Time: 2:30pm IST / 2:00am Pacific / 5:00am Eastern

Topics to be covered:
Introducing the BSI sensor camera
Introducing FORZA & Sensor Insights
Introducing the MIRO C camera
Demo & display of the High-Speed Camera & its accessories.

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An interesting combination of tech+art: https://bjoernkarmann.dk/project/paragraphica 

Paragraphica is a context-to-image camera that uses location data and artificial intelligence to visualize a "photo" of a specific place and moment. The camera exists both as a physical prototype and a virtual camera that you can try.

Will this put the camera and image sensor industry out of business? :)

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By TechInsights Image Sensor Experts: Eric Rutulis, John Scott-Thomas, PhD

We first heard about it at IEDM 2021, and Sony provided more details at the 2022 IEEE Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits conference. Now it’s on the market and TechInsights has had our first look at the “world’s first” two-layer image sensor and we present our preliminary results here. The device was found in a Sony Xperia 1V smartphone main camera having a 48 MP, 1.12 µm pixel pitch and we can confirm it has dual photodiodes (a Left and Right photodiode in each pixel for full array PDAF). The die size measures 11.37 x 7.69 mm edge-to-edge.

In fact, the sensor actually has three layers of active silicon, with an Image Signal Processor (ISP) stacked in a conventional arrangement using a Direct Bond Interface (DBI) to the “second layer” (we will use Sony’s nomenclature when possible) of the CMOS Image Sensor (CIS). Figure 1 shows a SEM cross-section through the array. Light enters from the bottom of the image, through the microlenses and color filters. Each pixel is separated by an aperture grid (with compound layers) to increase the quantum efficiency. Front Deep Trench Isolation is used between each photodiode and it appears that Sony is using silicon dioxide in the deep trench to improve Full Well Capacity and Quantum Efficiency (this will be confirmed with further analysis).This layer also has the planar Transfer Gate used to transfer photocharge from the diode to the floating diffusion. Above the first layer is the “second layer” of silicon that contains three transistors for each pixel; the Reset, Amp (Source-Follower) and Select transistors. These transistors sit above the second layer silicon and connection to the first layer is achieved using “Deep contacts” which pass through the second layer essentially forming Through Silicon Vias (TSVs). Finally, the ISP sits above the metallization of the second layer, connected using Hybrid (Direct) Bonding. The copper of the ISP used for connection to the CIS DBI Cu is not visible in this image.

Key to this structure is a process flow that can withstand the thermal cycling needed to create the thermal oxide and activate the implants on the second layer. Sony has described the process flow in some detail (IEDM 2021, “3D Sequential Process Integration for CMOS Image Sensor”).

Figure 2 is an image from this paper showing the process flow. The first layer photodiodes and Transfer Gate are formed, and the second layer is wafer bonded and thinned. Only then are the second layer gate oxides formed and the implants are activated. Finally, the deep contacts are formed, etching through the second layer, and contacting the first layer devices.

Figure 2: Process flow for two-layer CIS described in “3D Sequential Process Integration for CMOS Image Sensor”, IEDM 2021.

The interface between the first and second layer is shown in more detail in Figure 3. The Transfer Gate (TG in the image) is connected to the first metal layer of the second layer. Slightly longer deep contacts lie below the sample surface and are partially visible in the image. These connect the floating diffusion node between the first and second layer. A sublocal connection (below the sample surface) is used to interconnect four photodiodes just above the first layer to the source of the Reset FET and gate of the AMP (Source-Follower) FET.

The sublocal connection is explored more in Figure 4. This is a planar SEM image of the first layer at the substrate level. Yellow boxes outline the pixel, with PDL and PDR indicating the left and right photodiodes. One microlense covers each pixel. Sublocal connections are indicated and are used to interconnect the Floating Diffusion for two pixels and ground for four pixels. The sublocal connection appears to be polysilicon; this is currently being confirmed with further analysis.

Figure 4: SEM planar view of the pixel first layer at the substrate level.

The motivation for the two-layer structure is multiple. The photodiode full well capacity can be maintained even with the reduced pixel pitch. The use of sublocal contacts reduces the capacitance of the floating diffusion, increasing the conversion gain of the pixels. The increased area available on the second layer allows the AMP (Source-Follower) transistor area to be increased, reducing noise (flicker and telegraph) create in the channel of this device.

It's worth taking a moment to appreciate Sony’s achievement here. The new process flow and deep contact technology allow two layers of active devices to be interconnected with an impressive 0.46 µm (center-to-center) spacing of the deep contacts (or Through Silicon Vias). Even the hybrid bonding to the ISP is just 1.12 µm; the smallest pitch TechInsights has seen to date. At the recent International Image Sensors Workshop, Sony described an upcoming generation that will use “buried” sublocal connections embedded in the first layer and pixel FinFets in the second layer (to be published). Perhaps we are seeing the first stages of truly three-dimensional circuitry, with active devices on multiple layers of silicon, all interconnected. Congratulations, Sony!

TechInsights' first Device Essentials analysis on this device will be published shortly with more analyses underway.

Access the TechInsights Platform for more content and reports on image sensors.

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inVISION Days Conference presentations are now available online.

The first day of the inVISION Days Conference will give an overview of current developments in cameras and lenses, such as new image sensors for applications outside the visible range, high-speed interfaces... The panel discussion will explore what to expect next in image sensors.

All webinars are available for free (create a login account first):
https://openwebinarworld.com/en/webinar/invision-days-day-1-cameras/#video_library
 

Session 1: Machine Vision Cameras
Session 2: Optics & Lenses
Session 3: High-Speed Vision

At the first inVISION Day Metrology current applications and new technologies will be presented at the four sessions 3D Scanner, Inline Metrology, Surface Metrology, CT & X-Ray. The free online conference will be completed by a keynote speech, the panel discussion 'Metrology in the Digital Age' and the EMVA Pitches, where four start-up companies will present their innovations. You can find more information under invdays.com/metrology.

https://openwebinarworld.com/en/webinar/invision-day-metrology/
 
Session 1: 3D Scanner
Session 2: Inline Metrology
Session 3: Surface Metrology
Session 4: CT & X-ray

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Link: https://petapixel.com/2023/06/12/sphere-studios-big-sky-cinema-camera-features-an-insane-18k-sensor/

Sphere Studios’ Big Sky Cinema Camera Features an Insane 18K Sensor

Sphere Studios has developed a brand new type of cinema camera called The Big Sky. It features a single 316-megapixel HDR image sensor that the company says is a 40x resolution increase over existing 4K cameras and PetaPixel was given an exclusive look at the incredible technology.

 

Those who have visited Las Vegas in the last few years may have noticed the construction of a giant sphere building near the Venetian Hotel. Set to open in the fall of 2023, the Sphere Entertainment Co has boasted that this new facility will provide “immersive experiences at an unparalleled scale” featuring a 580,000 square-foot LED display and the largest LED screen on Earth.

As PetaPixel covered last fall, the venue will house the world’s highest resolution LED screen: a 160,000 square-foot display plane that will wrap up, over, and behind the audience at a resolution over 80 times that of a high-definition television with approximately 17,500 seats and a scalable capacity up to 20,000 guests. While the facility for viewing these immersive experiences sounds impressive on its own, it leaves one wondering what kind of cameras and equipment are needed to capture the content that gets played there.

The company has said “an innovative new camera system developed internally that sets a new bar for Image fidelity, eclipsing all current cinematic cameras with unparalleled edge-to-edge sharpness” — a very bold claim. While on paper it doesn’t seem much different from any other camera manufactures claims about their next-gen system, spending time with the new system in person and seeing what it is capable of paints an entirely different picture that honestly has to be seen to be believed.

“Sphere Studios is not only creating content, but also technology that is truly transformative,” says David Dibble, Chief Executive Officer of MSG Ventures, a division of Sphere Entertainment focused on developing advanced technologies for live entertainment.

“Sphere in Las Vegas is an experiential medium featuring an LED display, sound system and 4D technologies that require a completely new and innovative approach to filmmaking. We created Big Sky – the most advanced camera system in the world – not only because we could, but out of innovative necessity. This was the only way we could bring to life the vision of our filmmakers, artists, and collaborators for Sphere.”

According to the company, the new Big Sky camera system “is a groundbreaking ultra-high-resolution camera system and custom content creation tool that was developed in-house at Sphere Studios to capture stunning video for the world’s highest resolution screen at Sphere. Every aspect of Big Sky represents a significant advancement on current state-of-the-art cinema camera systems, including the largest single sensor in commercial use capable of capturing incredibly detailed, large-format images.”

The Big Sky features an “18K by 18K” (or 18K Square Format) custom image sensor which absolutely dwarfs current full frame and large format systems. When paired with the Big Sky’s single-lens system –which the company boasts is the world’s sharpest cinematic lens — it can achieve the extreme optical requirements necessary to match Sphere’s 16K by 16K immersive display plane from edge to edge.

Currently the camera has two primary lens designs: a 150-degree field of view which is true to the view of the sphere where the content will be projected, and a 165-degree field of view which is designed for “overshoot and stabilization” particularly useful in filming situations where the camera is in rapid motion or on an aircraft with a lot of vibrations (ie a helicopter).

The Big Sky features a single 316-megapixel, 3-inch by 3-inch HDR image sensor that the company says is a 40x resolution increase over existing 4K cameras and 160x over HD cameras. In addition to its massive sensor size, the camera is capable of capturing 10-bit footage at 120 frames per second (FPS) in the 18K square format as well as 60 FPS at 12-bit.

“With underwater and other lenses currently in development, as well as the ability to use existing medium format lenses, Sphere Studios is giving immersive content creators all the tools necessary to create extraordinary content for Sphere,” the company says.

Since the media captured by the Big Sky camera is massive, it requires some substantial processing power as well as some objectively obscene amounts of storage solutions. As such, just like the lenses, housings (including underwater and aerial gimbals), and camera, the entire media recorder infrastructure was designed and built entirely in-house to precisely meet the company’s needs.

According to the engineering team at Sphere, “the Big Sky camera creates a 500 gigabit per second pipe off the camera with 400 gigabit of fiber between the camera head and the media recorder. The media recorder itself is currently capable of recording 30 gigabytes of data per second (sustained) with each media magazine containing 32 terabytes and holds approximately 17 minutes of footage.”
The company says the media recorder is capable of handling 600 gigabits per second of network connectivity, as well as built-in media duplication, to accelerate and simplify on-set and post-production workflows. This allows their creative team to swap out drives and continue shooting for as long as they need.

Basically, as long as they have power and extra media magazines, they can run the camera pretty much all day without any issues. I did ask the team about overheating and heat dissipation of the massive system, and they went into great detail about how the entire system has been designed with a sort of internal “chimney” that maintained airflow through the camera ensuring it would not overheat and can keep running even in some of the craziest weather scenarios ranging from being completely underwater to surrounded by dust storms without incident.

What’s even more impressive is the camera can run completely separate from this recording technology as long as it is connected through its cable system, this includes distances of up to a reported mile away.

Since the entire system was built in-house, the team at Sphere Studios had to build their own image processing software specifically for Big Sky that utilizes GPU-accelerated RAW processing to make the workflows of capturing and delivering the content to the Sphere screen practical and efficient. Through the use of proxy editing, a standard laptop can be used, connected to the custom media decks to view and edit the footage with practically zero lag.

Why Is This A Big Deal?
While the specs on paper are unarguably mind-boggling, it’s practically impossible to express just how impressive the footage and experience is to see it captured and presented on the sphere screens it was meant for.

The good news is that PetaPixel was invited to the Los Angeles division for a private tour and demonstration of the groundbreaking technology so we could see it all firsthand and not just go off of the press release. I wasn’t able to take photos or video myself — the images and video in this write-up were provided by the Sphere Studios team — but I can confirm that this technology is wildly impressive and will definitely change the filmmaking industry in the coming years.

When showing me the initial concepts and design mock-ups, the team didn’t think of the content they deliver as simply footage, but rather “experiential storytelling” and after having experienced it for myself, I wholeheartedly agree.

During my tour of the facility, I got to see the camera first hand, look at live footage and rendering in real-time, as well as see some test images and video footage, including some scenes that may make it into “Postcard from Earth” which is the first experience being revealed at the Sphere in Las Vegas this fall that has footage captured from all over the planet that should give viewers a truly unique perspective of what the planet and this new camera system has to offer.

On top of the absolutely massive camera, the system they have developed to “experience” the footage includes haptic seating, true personal-headphone level sound without the headphones from any seat, as well as a revolutionary “environmental” system that can help viewers truly feel the environment they are watching with changing temperatures, familiar scents, and even a cool breeze.
“Sphere Studios is not only creating content, but also technology that is truly transformative,” says Dibble.

“Sphere in Las Vegas is an experiential medium featuring an LED display, sound system and 4D technologies that require a completely new and innovative approach to filmmaking. We created Big Sky – the most advanced camera system in the world – not only because we could, but out of innovative necessity. This was the only way we could bring to life the vision of our filmmakers, artists, and collaborators for Sphere.”

Something worth noting is all of this came to life effectively in just a few short years. The camera started out as an “array” of existing 8K cameras mounted in a massive custom housing. This created an entirely new series of challenges when processing and rendering the massive visuals, which lead to the development of the Big Sky single-lens camera itself, which is currently in its version 2.5 stage of development.

Each generation has made the system more compact and efficient also. The original system was over 100 pounds with the current (v2) weighing a little over 60 pounds, with the next generation lens being developed bringing the system under 30 pounds.

Equally impressive was the amount of noise the camera made, which is to say it was practically silent in operation. Even with the cooling system running it was as quiet or even quieter than most existing 8K systems in the cinematic world — comparing it to an IMAX wouldn’t even be fair… to the IMAX.

The Big Sky cameras are not up for sale (yet) but they are meeting with film companies and filmmakers to find ways to bring the technology to the home-entertainment world. A discussion we had on-site revolved around gimbals mounted on helicopters, airplanes, and automobiles and how those systems, even “the best” still experience some jitter/vibration which is often stabilized which causes the footage to be cropped in.

The technology built for Big Sky helps eliminate a massive percentage of this vibration, and even without it, the sheer amount of resolution the camera offers can provide a ton of space for post-production stabilization. This alone could be a game changer for Hollywood when capturing aerial and “chase scene” footage from vehicles allowing for even more detail than ever before.

Big Sky’s premiere experience at Sphere in Las Vegas is set to open on September 29 with the first of 25 concerts by U2, as well as many other film and live event projects that will be announced soon.

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The International Image Sensor Workshop 2023 offered an excellent overview of sensors past, present and future

John-Scott Thomas PhD, TechInsights (Image Sensor Subject Matter Expert)

After a long hiatus courtesy of COVID, the International Image Sensor Workshop (IISW) 2023 was held in-person at the charming Crieff Hydro Hotel in the highlands of Scotland from May 21-25. With over two hundred attendees by my count, the workshop presented a lively and informative forum for image sensor devices past, present and future. TechInsights was honored to open the meeting with a presentation on the state-of-the-art in small pixel (mobile) devices. With fifteen minutes available only the briefest overview was possible, and we focused on the technologies that enable the transition to the 0.56 micron pixel pitch (Samsung and OmniVision) and 0.70 micron (Sony) pixel pitch. You can read the TechInsights paper here.

Sony (presented by Masatak Sugimoto) then described the structure of a two-layer image sensor where the photodiode and transfer gate of the pixel is placed on one semiconductor layer and the reset, source-follower, and select transistors are placed on a lower layer. This structure allows optimization of the two layers with different processes for each and pushes the current limits of hybrid bonding. This was all the more interesting as TechInsights located a Sony sensor using 2-layer transistor pixels (in the Xperia 1V smartphone) as the workshop began. We’ll have plenty more analysis in our channels for this world-first device. Samsung (Sungsoo Choi) and OmniVision (Chung Yung Ai) then presented further technical details of the 0.56 micron pixels the two companies are producing. The first session was rounded out with another Samsung (Minho Kwon) presentation on a switchable resolution sensor and an onsemi (Vladi Korobov) surveillance sensor optimized for low light and Near Infra-red (NIR).
Following sessions discussed noise and pixel design. The Automotive session focused on High Dynamic Range, and a presentation by Manual Innocent (onsemi) shared an impressive video clip showing an automotive camera emerging from a dark tunnel to bright sunlight with excellent image quality using  a 150 dB sensor. Automotive cameras will be a high growth segment and are particularly suited to sensing outside the visible spectrum. More exotic applications included X-ray sensors, Ultraviolet and Short Wavelength Infrared sensors, discussed later in the conference. The final two sessions covered Time of Flight and SPAD sensors; already used in mobile applications, these are promising technologies in surveillance and automotive devices.

Of particular note were the discussions about digital image processing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. There was general agreement that future devices will have much more digital processing included in the stacked Image Signal Processor, although many attendees felt most of the image processing should be performed on the applications processor when possible since this device uses a more advanced process node. The younger attendees showed a significant interest in digital image processing through their presentations, posters, and questions; a sign of things to come no doubt. This was highlighted by the two invited speakers. Charles Bouman (Purdue University) provided an overview of the abilities of computational imaging and emphasized the need for more dialogue between the image sensing community and the digital processing community. Jerome Chossat (STMicroelectronics) presented trends analysis clearly showing there will be plenty of computational power available in future stacked image sensors.

A banquet concluded the workshop – complete with a starlit (electric, of course) hall, bagpipes and kilts. Neil Dutton (STMicroelectronics) opened the evening and in general provided excellent management of the sessions. Boyd Fowler (OmniVision) presented awards to the best papers and posters, and finally three awards to seasoned veterans of the image sensor world. John Tower was recognized for his contributions to Image Sensor publications, Takeharu Goji Etoh for his sustained contributions to High Speed Cameras and Edoardo Charbon for imaging using SPAD arrays. Edoardo showcased an amazing video clip of a light pulse travelling through air and bouncing from mirrors. If you haven’t seen this before, you really should check it out.

Much of the value at a workshop happens with the conversations that take place out of session and at the many social events happening beyond formalities. This event reminded me of the importance of in-person meetings. TechInsights will continue to participate and watch this exciting field for further innovation. The International Image Sensor Society intends to provide all of the workshop papers on their website in the next few weeks.

You can also read the TechInsights paper here.

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Optics.org news article https://optics.org/news/14/5/9 about recently published work from U. Edinburgh. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.28.5.057001

University of Edinburgh improves diffuse imaging of blood flow

10 May 2023
New data processing approach could relieve bottleneck for speckle techniques in clinics.

Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) can assess blood flow non-invasively, by analyzing diffused light returning from illuminated areas of tissue and detecting the speckled spectral signals of blood cells in motion.

The potential impact of DCS was recognized in a 2022 SPIE report, which concluded that "an exciting era of technology transfer is emerging as research groups have spun-out well-established, early-stage startup ventures intending to commercialize DCS for clinical use."

The SPIE report identified the increasing availability of advanced single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors as a key factor in the current rise of DCS techniques. However, those same detectors have introduced a potential new hurdle, caused by the increased data handling requirements of diffuse spectroscopic methods.

The extremely high data rates of modern SPAD cameras can exceed the maximum data transfer rates of commonly used communication protocols, a bottleneck that has limited the scalability of SPAD cameras to higher pixel resolutions and hindered the development of better multispeckle DCS techniques.

A project based at the University of Edinburgh and funded by Meta Platforms has now demonstrated a new data compression scheme that could improve the sensitivity and usability of multispeckle DCS instruments.

The study, published in Journal of Biomedical Optics, describes a novel data compression scheme in which most calculations involving SPAD data are performed directly on a commercial programmable circuit called a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). This alleviates the previous need for high computational power and extremely fast data transfer rates between the DSC system and the host system upon which the data is visualized, according to the project.

Clearer views of the brain
If the key part of the computational analysis, a per-pixel calculation termed the autocorrelation function, takes place locally on the FPGA, then a higher imaging frame rate can be maintained than is possible with existing hardware autocorrelators.

To test this approach, the Edinburgh project constructed a large array SPAD camera in which 128 linear autocorrelators were embedded in an FPGA integrated circuit. Packaged into a camera module christened Quanticam, this was able to calculate 12,288 channels of data and compute the ensemble autocorrelation function from 192 x 64 pixels of DCS data in real time.

"Our proposed system achieved a significant gain in the signal-to-noise ratio, which is 110 times higher than that possible on a single-speckle DSC implementation and 3 times higher than other state-of-the-art multispeckle DSC systems," commented Robert Henderson from the University of Edinburgh.

If FPGA-based designs can help researchers adopt SPAD arrays with high pixel resolution but without the data processing load currently involved, then SPAD cameras could become more widely adopted in the biomedical research community. This would expand the horizons of multispeckle DCS to more areas of biomedical research, including the imaging of cerebral blood dynamics.

"Intense research effort in SPAD camera development is currently ongoing to improve camera capabilities toward even larger pixel count, shorter exposure time and higher detection probability," said the project in its paper. "Soon we should expect high-performance SPAD cameras with FPGA-embedded or even on-chip computing that could surpass the multispeckle DCS requirements for noninvasive detection of local brain activation."

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The Barcelona Techno Weeks are a series of events that focus on a specific technological topic of interest for both academia and industry. These events include keynote presentations by world experts, networking activities, and a comprehensive course on solid state radiation detection. CERN and ICCUB organized three editions of the Techno Week in the past, which focused on semiconductor radiation detectors in 2016, 2018, and 2021.

Detailed schedule is available here: https://indico.icc.ub.edu/event/176/timetable/#all.detailed

Course on semiconductor detectors
The core of the 7th Techno Week is a comprehensive in-person course on solid state radiation detection, which covers topics such as the physics of interaction of radiation with matter, signal formation in detectors, different solid state radiation and photon detection technologies, detector analog and digital pulse processing readout circuits, detector packaging and advanced interconnect technologies and the use of radiation and photon detectors in scientific and industrial applications. The event also includes a participant poster session, presentations from industry professionals and a series of laboratories and social events.
 
The next edition will take place from the 3rd to the 7th July 2023 and it will be in-person. The course is divided into four sections: Sensors and Interconnects, Microelectronics, Detector Technologies, and Applications.

Objectives

•  Explain fundamentals of interaction of radiation with matter and signal formation.
•  Understand different solid state radiation and photon detection technologies (including monolithic sensors, CMOS imagers, SPAD sensors, etc).
•  Review detector analog and digital pulse processing readout circuits (with emphasis in microelectronics and ASIC design).
•  Provide an insight of packaging and advanced interconnect technologies (hybrid sensors, 3D integration, etc).
•  Survey the use of radiation and photon detectors in industrial applications.
•  Present new trends in radiation and photon detection.

In addition to the lectures from experts, the event includes a participant poster session and presentations from industry professionals combined with a series of laboratories and social events.
 
Who it is aimed at
The event is aimed at researchers, postdocs, PhD students, and industry professionals working in fields such as particle detectors, astronomy, space, medical imaging, scientific instrumentation, material analysis, neutron imaging, process monitoring and control. It offers a good opportunity for young researchers to meet with senior experts from academia and industry.

Lecturers
Rafael Ballabriga (CERN)
Massimo Caccia (U. Degli Studi Dell'Insubria)
Michael Campbell (CERN)
Ricardo Carmona Galán (IMSE-CNM/CSIC-US)
Edoardo Charbon (EPFL)
Perceval Coudrain (CEA)
David Gascón (ICCUB)
Alberto Gola (FBK)
Daniel Hynds (U. Oxford)
Frank Koppens (ICFO)
Angelo Rivetti (INFN)
Ángel Rodríguez Vázquez (US)
Antonio Rubio (UPC)
Dennis Schaart (TU Delft)
Francesc Serra-Graells (IMB-CNM/CSIC)
Renato Turchetta (IMASENIC)
 
Organization Team
Joan Mauricio (ICCUB)
Sergio Gómez (Serra Hunter - UPC)
Eduardo Picatoste (ICCUB)
Andreu Sanuy (ICCUB)
Rafael Ballabriga (CERN)
David Gascón (ICCUB)
Daniel Guberman (ICCUB)
Esther Pallarés (ICCUB)
Anna Argudo (ICCUB)

Some interesting talks on the schedule:

Contribution: Introduction to Semiconductors detectors
Time and Place: (Jul 3, 2023 - Jul 3, 2023)
Presenter: : Daniel Hynds

Contribution: Introduction to Semiconductors detectors
Time and Place: (Jul 3, 2023 - Jul 3, 2023)
Presenter: : Daniel Hynds

Contribution: Introduction to CMOS
Time and Place: (Jul 3, 2023 - Jul 3, 2023)
Presenter: : Francesc Serra-Graells

Contribution: Hybrid pixels and FE electronics
Time and Place: (Jul 4, 2023 - Jul 4, 2023)
Presenter: : Rafael Ballabriga

Contribution: Signal conditioning, digitization and Time pick-off
Time and Place: (Jul 4, 2023 - Jul 4, 2023)
Presenter: : Angelo Rivetti

Contribution: Sensor integration and packaging
Time and Place: (Jul 4, 2023 - Jul 4, 2023)
Presenter: : Perceval Coudrain

Contribution: Monolithic pixel detector + CMOS
Time and Place: (Jul 5, 2023 - Jul 5, 2023)
Presenter: : Renato Turchetta

Contribution: SPAD + Cryogenic
Time and Place: (Jul 5, 2023 - Jul 5, 2023)
Presenter: : Edoardo Charbon

Contribution: Embedded in-sensor intelligence for analog-to-information
Time and Place: (Jul 5, 2023 - Jul 5, 2023)
Presenters: : Ricardo Carmona Galán; Ángel Rodríguez-Vázquez

Contribution: SiPMs
Time and Place: (Jul 6, 2023 - Jul 6, 2023)
Presenter: : Alberto Gola

Contribution: Electronics for Fast Detectors
Time and Place: (Jul 6, 2023 - Jul 6, 2023)
Presenter: : David Gascon Fora

Contribution: Introduction to fast timing applications in medical physics
Time and Place: (Jul 7, 2023 - Jul 7, 2023)
Presenter: : Dennis R. Schaart

Contribution: Quantum applications of detectors
Time and Place: (Jul 7, 2023 - Jul 7, 2023)
Presenter: : Massimo Caccia

Contribution: Graphene
Time and Place: (Jul 7, 2023 - Jul 7, 2023)
Presenter: : Frank Koppens

Contribution: Electronics beyond CMOS (such as Carbon Nanotubes)
Time and Place: (Jul 7, 2023 - Jul 7, 2023)
Presenter: : Antonio Rubio

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