CMOS Technology

Photonfocus is a leading CMOS imager designing company. It is generally accepted that the CMOS technology will replace the traditional CCD technique in many applications due to its capabilities:

• to provide a much higher dynamic range (up to 120 dB)
• to provide full antiblooming resistance
• to allow functionality on the chip (camera-on-the-chip)
• to allow higher speeds (up to 60 MHz per output channel)
• to allow accessing only parts of the image (ROI)
• to be based on standard manufacturing processes

Due to carefully selected CMOS processes and proper signal handling techniques, temporal noise of CMOS Image Sensors nowadays outperforms CCD's. Moreover, with the LinLog™ technology invented by Photonfocus, it is for the first time possible to combine Linear and Logarithmic response in a single pixel, thus preventing slow response time and reduced contrast known from traditional Logarithmic Image sensors. This fundamental advancement in CMOS technology was awarded with the Vision 2000 innovation prize. Besides Photonfocus was one the first research groups, who presented a CMOS imager with a synchronous or global shutter.

The combination of several of these advantages can open new applications fields in industrial image processing such as welding applications, laser beam shape measurements or other applications with difficult lighting conditions.