Lists

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

SWIR Vision Systems announces 6 MP SWIR sensor to be released in 2024

The sensor is based on quantum dot crystals deposited on silicon.

Link: https://www.swirvisionsystems.com/acuros-6-mp-swir-sensor/

Acuros® CQD® sensors are fabricated via the deposition of quantum dot semiconductor crystals upon the surface of silicon wafers. The resulting CQD photodiode array enables high resolution, small pixel pitch, broad bandwidth, low noise, and low inter-pixel crosstalk arrays, eliminating the prohibitively expensive hybridization process inherent to InGaAs sensors. CQD sensor technology is silicon wafer-scale compatible, opening its potential to very low-cost high-volume applications.

Features:

  •  3072 x 2048 Pixel Array
  •  7µm Pixel Pitch
  •  Global Snapshot Shutter
  •  Enhanced QE
  •  100 Hz Framerate
  •  Integrated 12bit ADC
  •  Full Visible-to-SWIR bandwidth
  •  Compatible with a range of SWIR lenses
Applications:
  • Industrial Inspection: Suitable for inspection and quality control in various industries, including semiconductor, electronics, and pharmaceuticals.
  •  Agriculture: Crop health monitoring, food quality control, and moisture content analysis.
  •  Medical Imaging: Blood vessel imaging, tissue differentiation, and endoscopy.
  •  Degraded Visual Environment: Penetrating haze, smoke, rain & snow for improved situational awareness.
  •  Security and Defense:Target recognition, camouflage detection, and covert surveillance.
  •  Scientific Research: Astronomy, biology, chemistry, and material science.
  •  Remote Sensing: Environmental monitoring, geology, and mineral exploration

 

Full press release:

SWIR Vision Systems to release industry-leading 6 MP SWIR sensors for defense, scientific, automotive, and industrial vision markets
 
The company’s latest innovation, the Acuros® 6, leverages its pioneering CQD® Quantum Dot image sensor technology, further contributing to the availability of very high resolution and broad-band sensors for a diversity of applications.

Durham, N.C., October 31, 2023 – SWIR Vision Systems today announces the upcoming release of two new models of short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) image sensors for Defense, Scientific, Automotive, and Industrial Users. The new sensors are capable of capturing images in the visible, the SWIR, and the extended SWIR spectral ranges. These very high resolution SWIR sensors are made possible by the company’s patented CQD Quantum Dot sensor technology.

SWIR Vision’s new products include both the Acuros 6 and the Acuros 4 CQD SWIR image sensors, featuring 6.3 megapixel and 4.2 megapixel global shutter arrays. Each sensor has a 7-micron pixel-pitch, 12-bit digital output, low read noise, and enhanced quantum efficiency, resulting in excellent sensitivity and SNR performance for a broad array of applications.

The new products employ SWIR Vision’s CQD photodiode technology, in which photodiodes are created via the deposition of low-cost films directly on top of silicon readout ICs. This approach enables small pixel sizes, affordable prices, broad spectral response, and industry-leading high-resolution SWIR focal plane arrays.

SWIR Vision is now engaging global camera makers, automotive, industrial, and defense system integrators, who will leverage these breakthrough sensors to tackle challenges in laser inspection and manufacturing, semiconductor inspection, automotive safety, long-range imaging, and defense.
“Our customers challenged us again to deliver more capability to their toughest imaging problems. The Acuros 4 and the Acuros 6 sensors deliver the highest resolution and widest spectral response available today,” said Allan Hilton, SWIR Vision’s Chief Product Officer. “The industry can expect to see new camera and system solutions based on these latest innovations from our best-in-class CQD sensor engineering group”.

About SWIR Vision Systems – SWIR Vision Systems (www.swirvisionsystems.com), a North Carolina-based startup company, has pioneered the development and introduction of high-definition, Colloidal Quantum Dot (CQD® ) infrared image sensor technology for infrared cameras, delivering breakthrough sensor capability. Imaging in the short wavelength IR has become critical for key applications within industrial, defense systems, mobile phones, and autonomous vehicle markets.
To learn more about our 6MP Sensors, go to https://www.swirvisionsystems.com/acuros-6-mp-swir-sensor/.

10 comments:

  1. This should be added to ITAR list.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think 'Acuros' is the product line, the company who announced is "Swir vision systems" so the title of the post is wrong...
    apart from this a general question: is there a practical, i mean technical or physical limit to the size of such pixels? the ROIC below the CQD layer consists of photodiodes, similar to a 'classical' CIS, right? Global shutter CIS enters the low 2u size magnitude, as the storage node moves to a seperate wafer the size will further go down. Would it be technically possible to create such a sensor with very small, lets say 2u pixels or are there reasons for limits? like the size of the QD particles? or the other way - what are the technical consequences when pixel shrink further in such a sensor?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. generally the size of quantum dots is of few nanometers to absorb in infrared so no issue on this side. If I remember, IEDM21 paper from ST reported 1.6um GS pixel with almost no electrical cross-talk, so scaling is probably still possible, more than III-V sensors that will have issues with lateral diffusion of carriers generating electrical cross-talk (sony's InGaAs sensor with ~5um pixel pitch).

      Delete
    2. You can use also smaller pixels, this was already shown for OPD (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=7409799&tag=1) and QD for visible/NIR (https://www.imagesensors.org/Past%20Workshops/2013%20Workshop/2013%20Papers/07-17_093-mandelli_paper.pdf)

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Anyone manage to find the spectral curve? Can share?

      Delete

  4. What is the rationale for choosing direct injection as input amplifier? With so little dark current, the injection efficiency will be poor in solar lighting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that this should be SFP design.

      Delete
    2. Previous Invisage has encountered difficulties in making small size pixel. Also there is no further information on the development of small pixel at STM, should this be interepted as they have some difficulties?

      Delete
  5. another large (5mp) swir sensor announced by sony: imx992, 2560x2048, 3.45u pixels, https://www.sony-semicon.com/en/news/2023/2023112901.html

    ReplyDelete

All comments are moderated to avoid spam and personal attacks.