Abstract :
Modem CMOS semiconductor technology makes it possible to integrate photosensitive, analog and digital electronic functionality on the same "smart image sensor" chip or even in "smart pixels". In this way, highly functional pixels can be realized with a performance that is either difficult or impossible to achieve with conventional photosensors. Examples given include smart pixels carrying out linear transforms, exhibiting a dynamic range of >160 dB, measuring distances with centimeter precision by exploiting the optical time-of-flight principle, implementing optically addressed programmable gate arrays, enabling real-time low-coherence optical tomography for medical and technical applications, and performing basic machine vision tasks with the ultimate goal of realizing "seeing chips"
Keywords :
CMOS image sensors; computer vision; integrated optoelectronics; optical tomography; programmable logic arrays; smart pixels; CMOS semiconductor technology; analog electronic functionality; digital electronic functionality; dynamic range; electronic functionality integration; functional pixels; linear transforms; machine vision; measured distances; medical applications; optical time-of-flight principle; optically addressed programmable gate arrays; photosensitive electronic functionality; photosensors; real-time low-coherence optical tomography; seeing chips; smart image sensor chip; smart pixels; technical applications; Biomedical optical imaging; CMOS image sensors; CMOS technology; Dynamic range; Image sensors; Modems; Optical arrays; Optical sensors; Semiconductor device measurement; Smart pixels;
