Pyxalis Update

There has been little public information about Pyxalis since it has been founded in 2010. Now Yole's Micronews #143 publishes a sort of update on the company progress and plans:

Pyxalis’ design portfolio includes work and intellectual property in the HDR capture; global shutter or rolling shutter pixels; high-speed imaging; low-light imaging and near-infrared (NIR) sensitivity; embedded image processing; very large area image arrays with only one chip per wafer for use in medical and nondestructive testing applications; and high-performance column ADC architectures with up to 14-bit resolution. "In terms of technology development, we’re focusing on innovative and distinct features at the image sensor levels and, for example, provide a range of high-performance fast ADCs with high resolution—ranging from 8 to 14 bits now, and we’ll expand that range in the future,” says Pyxalis CEO Philippe Rommeveaux.

For image processing, Pyxalis integrates an on-chip 32-bit microcontroller. "By using the microcontroller to do preprocessing on-chip, it means that signal conditioning and calculations—as well as image quality improvements—can be done directly on chip," explains Rommeveaux.

Pyxalis’ goal for the next few years is to continue its growth trajectory and to be a long-term design house. "We currently have 15 employees, and our target is to grow by 2x during the next three to four years," says Rommeveaux. "And we intend to continue innovating in the CMOS image sensor design field, with a strong commitment to quality service and time-to-product."