Upgraded CMOS Captures Images With High Resolution - Fraunhofer University

Improving upon the present CMOS technology based on 0.35 µm standard, Fraunhofer University has addressed a problem faced in capturing images. The new technology which helps cameras to capture images in dim light, removes the drawbacks of Pinned Photodiodes using pixel size 10 µm or above. The lateral drift field photodetector (LDPD) developed by scientists have boosted the speed of traditional CMOS sensors. 



Fraunhofer researchers developed lateral drift field photodetector to capture better images. It is an advanced version of Pinned photodiodes (PPD) and CMOS.

As the electronic goods are becoming smaller and thinner, manufacturers have to make CMOS circuits compatible with the changing trend. This makes it difficult to capture better quality images in some cases. The problem is encountered when someone is dealing with dim or no light situations like that in astronomy. It is seen that bigger size pixels are used to compensate for minimal light, but now that technology is also getting behind time. It was hence a need to develop devices that would make a faster conversion of light to electrical signal.

Earlier attempts were based on improving this speed of response. For example, electronics industry have already seen Pinned Photodiodes built-in the CMOS chips. However, this was also not sufficient to satisfy the growing demand of better quality images. Scientists from Fraunhofer hence were fascinated with idea of upgrading the present CMOS sensors. The speed of conversion has been improved to about 100 times the initial.
The optoelectronic device developed by the team is a lateral drift field photodetector (LDPD) which does not let the generated current to diffuse and sends it at an unprecedented speed to the reading device. The technology is already patented and the team is now awaiting approval for a series production of the device. Let us hope to see these new CMOS devices in latest electronic components, 3D-sensors and X-ray photography!