Ultrasensitive photon hunter
Camera installed directly on chip
To achieve this the new image sensor uses the "internal avalanche breakdown effect"– a photoelectric amplification effect. The number of "avalanche breakdowns" corresponds to the number of photons that the pixels hit. In order to count these events, each of the sensor's pixels comes with very precise digital counters. At the same time, the scientists have applied microlenses to each sensor chip, which focus the incoming beam in each pixel onto the photoactive surface. Another advantage is that processing the digital image signals is already possible directly on the microchip; therefore, additional analogue signal processing is no longer needed.
"The image sensor is a major step toward digital image generation and image processing. It allows us to have the capability to use even very weak light sources for photography. The new technology installs the camera directly on the semiconductor, and is capable of turning the information from the light into images at a significantly faster pace," states Dr. Daniel Durini, group manager for optical components at the Fraunhofer Institute IMS.
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