SiOnyx vs Apple iPhone15 lawsuit

Link: https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/01/09/apple-fights-patent-lawsuit-over-iphone-15-camera-tech

In September, Apple was the target of a patent infringement lawsuit from SiOnyx, for allegedly encroaching on patents for full-color night vision imaging sensors.

At the time, it was claimed that Apple had infringed on the patents, referred to as "Pixel Isolation Elements, Devices, and Associated Methods," discussing improvements to photosensitive devices. By using silicon-based photonics, the complaint said that companies could create smaller, lower-cost, and higher-performance photonic devices for imaging purposes.

In December, SiOnyx amended the complaint to include that Apple had pre-suit knowledge of three patents, reports Law.com. Apple also connected in May 2014 to talk about technical developments.

In an August 2017 meeting over trench isolation structures and black silicon technology, as mentioned in the patents, SiOnyx also shared a presentation with Apple employees.

On January 8, Apple responded to the complaint by filing a motion to strike some of the new allegations. Working for Apple, attorney Michael D. Strapp of DLA Piper wanted for some of the case to be dismissed, because SiOnyx failed to state a claim.

Prophesee files for insolvency [Updated]

Source: https://sifted.eu/articles/startups-went-bust-2024
 

French deeptech Prophesee developed advanced ‘neuromorphic’ computer vision technology — meaning that it aimed to imitate the structure and function of the human brain and eye. In May 2024, it announced that its technology, which is mostly intended for smartphone cameras, was available in US tech giant AMD’s products. However, in October [2024], the company, which had raised €126m in total, filed for insolvency and entered judicial recovery. It told French publication Les Echos that its next round of fundraising had taken longer than expected.

[Update Jan 29 4:30pm Pacific Time] A statement from the company: 

Dear All,

The company has entered a judicial recovery procedure at the end of 2024 due to a delay in our fundraising process, which we are now in the final stages of completing with both existing and new investors.

Despite this, our operations continue as normal. My team and I remain fully committed to delivering best in class event-based sensors and solutions to our customers and partners.

Thank you for your continued support.

Cheers,

Luca Verre

CEO & Co-founder

ISP development short course at Electronic Imaging 2025

10xEngineers invites the Imaging and Vision community to attend a Short Course on Infinite-ISP, the open-source hardware image signal processor development package at Electronic Imaging 2025.

Date: February 6, 2025 PST

Start Time: 8:30 am - 12:45 pm Pacific Time

Duration: 4 hours

The participants of the course will be taken through the entire ISP development process using the open source Infinite-ISP package. The hands-on course touches topics such as:
a.    translating a custom algorithm written in floating-point into the hardware ISP pipeline
b.    Porting a new image sensor to the hardware ISP and tuning for a new sensor
c.    utilizing the ISP to process an available dataset for Vision or AI/ Deep Learning application

Program link: https://www.imaging.org/IST/iCore/Events/Function_Display.aspx?EventKey=E25&FunctionKey=E25/SC17

Registration: https://www.imaging.org/IST/Events/EI-Registration/SignIn.aspx

Conference List - March 2025

21st Annual Device Packaging Conference - 3-6 March 2025 - Phoenix, Arizona, USA - Website

Laser World of Photonics China - 11-13 March 2025 - Shanghai, China - Website

Image Sensors Europe - 18-19 March 2025 - London, UK - Website

MEMS & Sensors Technical Conference - 26-27 March 2025 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA - Website

If you know about additional local conferences, please add them as comments.

Return to Conference List index

Canon announces 410MP full-frame sensor

Press release: https://global.canon/en/news/2025/20250122.html

Canon develops CMOS sensor with 410 megapixels, the largest number of pixels ever achieved in a 35 mm full-frame sensor

TOKYO, January 22, 2025— Canon Inc. announced today that it has developed a CMOS sensor with 410 megapixels (24,592 x 16,704 pixels), which is the largest number1 of pixels ever achieved in a 35 mm full-frame sensor. This sensor is expected to be used in applications that demand extreme resolution in various markets including surveillance, medicine, and industry.

The newly developed CMOS sensor features a resolution equivalent to 24K (198 times greater than Full HD, and 12 times greater than 8K). This enables users to crop any part of the image captured by this sensor and enlarge it significantly while maintaining high resolution. While many CMOS sensors with a super-high pixel count are medium-format or larger, this extreme resolution sensor is compacted into a 35 mm full-frame format. This allows it to be used in combination with lenses for full-frame sensors, and it is expected to contribute to the miniaturization of shooting equipment. As data readout of a CMOS sensor tends to take longer as the number of pixels increases, achieving a CMOS sensor with a super-high pixel count requires advanced signal processing technology. The newly developed sensor employs a back-illuminated stacked formation in which the pixel segment and signal processing segment are interlayered and also includes a redesigned circuitry pattern. As a result, the sensor is capable of achieving a super-high readout speed of 3,280 megapixels per second, delivering video at 8 frames per second2.

This sensor3 also features a “four-pixel binning” function that virtually treats four adjoining pixels as one, thereby improving sensitivity and making it possible to capture brighter images. When this function is in use, the sensor can capture 100-megapixel video at 24 frames per second.

By leveraging the technology it has accumulated over many years as a leading imaging company, Canon has developed breakthrough products including CMOS sensors with super-high pixel count and ultra-sensitivity, and SPAD sensors, which detect faint traces of light even in dark areas. Canon will continue to advance its technology and contribute to the transformation and further development of society.

Additional information
The sensor is scheduled to be displayed at the Canon booth at SPIE Photonics West, a leading global conference for optics and photonics held in San Francisco from January 28-30, 2025.
 1 As of January 21, 2025 (According to a survey by Canon).
 2 Applies to both color and monochrome sensors
 3 Monochrome sensor only

Singular Photonics launches SPAD imagers at SPIE Photonics West

Press release: https://singularphotonics.com/singular-photonics-emerges-from-stealth-with-portfolio-of-spad-based-image-sensors/

Startup introduces range of sensors with layers of advanced computation to extract valuable information from images.

Edinburgh, UK – January 23, 2025 – Singular Photonics emerged from stealth mode today, launching a new generation of image sensors based on single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). A spin-out from the University of Edinburgh lab of digital imaging pioneer Professor Robert Henderson, Singular is one of the first companies to bring advanced computation to SPAD-based image sensing, enabling in-pixel and cross-pixel storage and computations at the lowest light levels to reveal previously invisible details of the material world and its photon events.

The company will showcase its products for the first time at next week’s SPIE Photonics West event in San Francisco.

SPADs use the “avalanche” effect in semiconductors to convert light directly into an electrical current, without the need for cooling or amplification. While most commercial SPAD-based image sensors have been limited to time-resolved counting of photons, Singular’s core innovation lies in complex layers of computation beneath 3D-stacked SPAD sensors, comparable to the way FPGAs and GPUs revolutionized parallel computing by conducting high-speed, localized processing.

Prof Henderson leads the University of Edinburgh’s CMOS Sensors and Systems Group. In 2005, he designed one of the first SPAD image sensors in nanometer CMOS technologies, leading to the first time-of-flight sensors in 2013, which today perform an autofocus-assist feature in more than a billion smartphones worldwide.

“There can be no doubt that SPAD sensors are the future of digital imaging, but their use to date in commercial devices hasn’t extended much beyond time-resolved counting of photons,” said Prof Henderson. “Computational cleverness can be the difference. We are building next-generation imaging sensors, where the computation is done digitally at the pixel level – exactly where the photons arrive.”
Simultaneously capturing depth and temporal dimensions to generate 4D images that provide deep, data-rich insights, Singular’s noiseless sensors enable more information to be extracted from light, supporting applications ranging from consumer and automotive electronics to the scientific and medical fields. The company’s approach transforms SPAD sensors into 3D stacked computational engines capable of performing a wide range of sophisticated tasks, such as real-time photon counting, timing, and advanced processing techniques, including in-pixel histograms, statistical analysis and autocorrelation.

Singular is launching with two sensors, both of which are available today:
 
Andarta, developed in collaboration with tech giant Meta, has a miniature form factor combined with high sensitivity, and is optimized for use in a number of medical imaging modalities. The sensor supports multiple modes of operation including in-pixel autocorrelation measurements, and represents a significant step closer to SPAD integration in the wearables space. For example, Andarta enables monitoring of the rate of cerebral blood flow, monitoring rapid fluctuations in light as it passes through tissue, at depths not currently possible with current sensors.

 Sirona, the company’s first product, is a 512 pixel SPAD-based line sensor capable of time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and enabling Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), time-of-flight, and quantum applications. With on-chip histogramming and time binning capability, the sensor has the potential to revolutionize spectroscopy applications.
Singular has already inked multiple deals for its sensors with some of the world’s leading instrumentation companies, and expects to announce more collaborations in 2025.

 “We are in a unique position where we already have commercially available products and are generating revenue in our first year of incorporation,” said Shahida Imani, CEO of Singular Photonics. “With new, even more advanced sensors coming to the market in 2025, we are well positioned to lead the SPAD-driven imaging revolution.”

Prof. Eric Fossum receives the National Medal of Technology and Innovation

Prof. Eric Fossum received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation at the White House on Jan 3, 2025, receiving the highest honor for technological achievement in the US.

The press briefing is no longer available [as of Jan 23, 2025, 12:00am Eastern Time]: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/03/president-biden-honors-nations-leading-scientists-technologists-and-innovators/

An archived version from Wayback Machine is available here: https://web.archive.org/web/20250104020214/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/01/03/president-biden-honors-nations-leading-scientists-technologists-and-innovators/

Image sensor papers and talks at ISSCC 2025

ISSCC 2025 will be held February 16-20, 2025 in San Francisco. The program includes papers and talks of interest to the image sensors community. There will be 6 imager papers in the technical session as well as a special forum by invited industry experts on their views on technology trends.

ISSCC advanced program: https://submissions.mirasmart.com/ISSCC2025/PDF/ISSCC2025AdvanceProgram.pdf

ISSCC Imager session:

6.1 H. Shim et al., Samsung, "A 3-Stacked Hybrid-Shutter CMOS Image Sensor with Switchable 1.2μm-Pitch 50Mpixel Rolling Shutter and 2.4μm-Pitch 12.5Mpixel Global Shutter Modes for Mobile Applications"

6.2 S. Park et al., Ulsan National Institute of Technology, SolidVue, Sungkyunwan Univ., Sognag Univ., "An Asynchronous 160×90 Flash LiDAR Sensor with Dynamic Frame Rates of 5 to 250fps Based on Pixelwise ToF Validation via a Background-Light-Adaptive Threshold"

6.3 H-S. Choi et al., Yonsei Univ., KIST, XO Semiconductor, Myongji Univ, Samsung, " SPAD Flash LiDAR with Chopped Analog Counter for 76m Range and 120klx Background Light"

6.4 T-H. Tsai et al., META, Brillnics, Sesame AI, "A 400×400 3.24μm 117dB-Dynamic-Range 3-Layer Stacked Digital Pixel Sensor"

6.5 T. Kainuma et al., Sony, "A 25.2Mpixel 120frames/s Full-Frame Global-Shutter CMOS Image Sensor with Pixel-Parallel ADC"

6.6 Y. Zhuo et al., Peking Univ, Univ. of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Inst. of Technical Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences, "A 320×256 6.9mW 2.2mK-NETD 120.4dB-DR LW-IRFPA with Pixel-Paralleled Light-Driven 20b Current-to-Phase ADC"

Forum "Seeing the Future: Advances in Image and Vision Sensing"

Image sensors are the eyes of modern technology, enabling both humans and machines to perceive and interpret the world. While they are well-known in smartphones and cameras, their role in transformative applications such as autonomous vehicles, IoT devices, and AR/VR is rapidly growing. Advances like deep-trench isolation, 3D integration, and pixel-level innovations have driven the development of 2-layer pixels, miniaturized global shutters, time-of-flight sensing, and event-based detection. Stacked architectures, in particular, enable intelligent onchip processing, making edge computing possible while reducing the device footprints for AR/VR, medical technology, and more. Metamaterials and computational cameras are further pushing boundaries by merging advanced optics with sophisticated algorithms, achieving higher image quality, enhanced depth perception, and entirely new imaging capabilities.

This forum provides engineers with insight into the latest breakthroughs in image sensor technology, edge computing, metaphotonics, and computational imaging— offering an inspiring platform to explore innovations that will shape the future of sensing and drive the next generation of technological advancements.

5.1 F. Domengie, Yole, "Innovative Image Sensors Technologies Expanding Applications and Market Frontiers"

5.2 S. Roh, Samsung, "Dispersion-Engineered Metasurface Integration for Overcoming Pixel Shrink Limitations in CMOS Image Sensors"

5.3 B. Fowler, OMNIVISION, "Advances in Automotive CMOS Image Sensors"

5.4 H.E. Ryu, Seoul National Univ., "Neuromorphic Imaging Sensor: How It Works and Its Applications"

5.5 D. Stoppa, Sony, "Innovation Trends in Depth Sensing and Imaging: Enabling Technologies and Core Building Blocks"

5.6 P. Van Dorpe, imec/KUL, "Photonics Enhanced Imaging for Omics and Medical Imaging"

5.7 C. Liu, META, "AI Sensors for Wearable Devices"

5.8 D. Golanski, STMicrolectronics, "From NIR to SWIR CMOS Image Sensors: Technology Challenges and state-of-the-art"

5.9 F. Heide, Princeton Univ, "Cameras As Nanophotonic Optical Computers"

Sony stacked CIS+iToF sensor (IEDM 2024)

Article (in German): https://www.pcgameshardware.de/Wissenschaft-Thema-237118/News/Fuer-Kameras-Sony-stapelt-Farb-Tiefensensor-keine-Verzerrungen-mehr-1462040/

English translation from Google Translate (with some light editing) below:

 

Depth sensors, which provide an image with spatial information, have become increasingly widespread in recent years. They can be used, for example, to create 3D scans or for targeted, subsequent blur effects - for example in smartphone cameras. In most cases, so-called ToF sensors (Time of Flight) are used, in which each pixel is measured when previously radiated infrared light is reflected back.

Not next to each other, but on top of each
So far, however, there has been a problem in the implementation in combination with normal camera sensors. Either the ToF sensor is located next to the camera sensor. Then there are are concealed areas through the different angles, but above all on edges, and not every color value can be assigned a depth value. Or ToF and color pixels sit on the same sensor and take away the space from each other. In other words: The resolution is reduced.

However, the camera division of Sony now claims to have found a way out. At the IEDM 2024 semiconductor trade fair, a combination sensor was presented in which the camera sensor is located directly above the depth sensor. This is made possible by the use of a new material: normally the color pixels would be located on silicon, but the broadband light would be absorbed and thus the depth pixels covered. However, Sony has apparently solved this problem by means of a new construction on a broadband transparent, organic photo-leading film. Visible wavelength hits the color sensors, while infrared light falls further down on the IR pixels of the ToF sensor.

Above each ToF pixel, which each occupies 4um, there are four RGB pixels with 1um each. In total, there is talk of a resolution of 1004 x 756 pixels for the depth map and 4016 x 3024 pixels for the color image. At least in this respect, the prototype has apparently already reached a usable area.

 

However, it is still unclear whether and when corresponding sensors should go into mass production. However, if Sony can potentially eliminate existing problems, the wide availability of such a sensor would offer numerous options. For example, you could simplify the creation of high-resolution 3D scans for games and movies and also make the data collection of robots significantly more reliable.

New opening in Prof Guy Meynants research group

KU Leuven

Electronics Design Engineer for Space Exploration (post-doctoral assistant) - Geel, Belgium - Link