Image Sensors to Enable 3-D

In the future, CMOS image sensors are expected to exceed the performance of human vision and move towards 3-D, according to a researcher from Sony Corp.

"The evolution of the CMOS image sensor will lead to the following imaging functions for cameras in the future: super reality, 3-D image 'eyeball,'" said Tomoyuki Suzuki, vice president of Sony.

Suzuki proposed a CMOS image sensor that is bent into a spherical shape, enabling it to capture wide-angle images like an eyeball.

The performance targets of such a device include 4K x 2K video capture, less than 0.1lux video capture and 1,000 frames per second. To enable this device, CMOS image sensors must include power-reduced and multiple-bit analog-to-digital converters, improvement of dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio via back-illuminated structures.

By Mark LaPedus, EE Times