Image sensors for low cost infrared imaging and 3D sensing (Conference Presentation)

CMOS image sensors for visible wavelength range have been receiving much attention over the last two decades, offering ultra-low power and camera-on-chip integration. Imagers are now able to extract additional information from the scene thanks to infrared sensing for recognition or Time-of-Flight for 3D imaging. Such capabilities enable an unlimited amount of applications in several businesses, i.e. automotive, industrial, life science, security, agricultural or consumer. Imec has been continuously developing advanced technologies together with innovative pixel and circuit architectures to realize prototypes for various scientific applications. Thanks to state-of-the-art IIIV and thin-film (organics or quantum dots) material integration experience combined with imager design and manufacturing, imec is proposing a set of research activities which ambition is to innovate in the field of low cost and high resolution NIR/SWIR uncooled sensors as well as 3D sensing in NIR with Silicon-based Time-of-Flight pixels. This work will present the recent integration achievements with demonstration examples as well as development prospects in this research framework.