Digital sensors

[GB1]

If this means anything in the short term,
GB


MENLO PARK, Calif., September 27, 2010 – InVisage Technologies, Inc. – a Silicon Valley-based start-up revolutionizing the image sensor market – today announced that its breakthrough technology, QuantumFilm won top honors in The Wall Street Journal 2010 Technology Innovation Award in the semiconductors category. QuantumFilm is the world’s first quantum dot-based material for image sensors, replacing silicon. QuantumFilm captures up to four times more light than traditional silicon-based image sensors, enabling significantly higher quality images from mobile handset cameras.

QuantumFilm is based on quantum dots – a semiconductor material that is nanometers in size – engineered to have unprecedented light-absorbing properties QuantumFilm works by capturing an imprint of a light image, and then employing the silicon beneath it to read out the image and turn it into versatile digital signals. InVisage spent three years engineering the quantum dot material to produce highly sensitive image sensors that integrate with standard CMOS manufacturing, also developed by InVisage. The result is an image sensor that offers remarkable increases in light-capturing efficiencies over existing solutions.

John M. Leger, a Journal news editor who oversees the Innovation Awards, said: "Judges were very impressed with InVisage's QuantumFilm technology. It should open up a lot of new applications in a variety of consumer products."

“Our drive to innovate, to find solutions outside the existing image-sensor model is what led us to look beyond traditional silicon,” said Jess Lee, CEO, InVisage Technologies. “By allowing consumers to take high quality photos with handheld digital devices like their cell phone even in low -light, QuantumFilm is poised to become the de-facto next generation camera platform. We are honored to be so prestigiously recognized for our efforts by The Wall Street Journal.”

The Wall Street Journal received nearly 600 entries, with only 8% receiving this award.

[Anbesol]

Is this extra light sensitivity relative to the pixel pitch, or to the overall speed of sensitivity?

[SmartWombat]

I remember seeing this ages ago, early in their startup cycle, and they still haven't produced a product !

Their descriptions are misleading; if the quantum dots store the captured light and are read out ... why do they need the quantum shutter to store the charge (from the captured light) to avoid the rolling scan?

It's strange that they claim they can tune the bandgap of the absorption layer - but they still require a colour filter.

I'm sure it's impressive on paper and I understand their reluctance to give away technical information, but I'd not hold my breath waiting for this.

[drg]

A generation ago GaAs or Gallium Arsenide was going to replace all silicon in less than 5 years. Hmmmm. . .

Then again I'm a skeptic or at least until I see some tangibles.

Now if they can make it cheaper than silicon sensors and in large 'sheets' and figure out how to get the signal off the sensor more efficiently than the present technologies, I'll be waiting with money in hand!!

[GB1]

I agree that many initially promising technical discoveries just never make it. Seems like the greater the potential leap they're reporting, the less chance there is of it actually working outside the lab.