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The requirement for low-cost, compact
imaging systems used in spacecraft has made cameras the size
of a computer microchip possible. Applications of this state-of-the-art
technology include personal computer video conferencing, digital
still cameras, medical instruments, toys, and various automotive
applications.
Photobit Corporation of Pasadena, California, first received
exclusive license to a new type of image sensor developed at
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The JPL-invented technology
was the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor Active Pixel
Sensor (CMOS-APS).
CMOS-APS technology enables the integration of a complete
imaging system, including pixel array and control area, onto
a single piece of silicon. One benefit is that it greatly reduces
power consumption and lowers the number of parts needed in finished
imaging products. Further--more, by combining all camera functionsfrom
the capture of photons to the output of digital bits--CMOS sensors
offer enhanced reliability, facilitate miniaturization, and allow
on-chip programming of frame size, exposure, and other parameters.
Unlike conventional charge-coupled device (CCD) technology, CMOS
sensors use the same manufacturing platform as most microprocessors
and memory chips. Therefore, the CMOS devices are more cost-effective
and easier to produce in comparison to CCDs.
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| Photobit
Corporation's camera-on-a-chip is the result of a license granted
to use NASA's CMOS-APS technology. |
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Photobit, an entrepreneurial spinoff firm established in 1995
and based upon the JPL work, obtained the licensing rights to
the CMOS-APS technology with the goal of furthering and marketing
the revolutionary solid state image sensor. In early 1999, Photobit
announced the issuance of a broad U.S. patent for camera-on-a-chip
technology. The company's priority now is demonstrating the superior
nature of the CMOS technology over CCD technology introduced
in the 1970s. High-performance digital sensors that use CMOS
architecture have been created at Photobit, "to set new
performance standards for videoconferencing, digital still cameras,
broadcast television, medical, agricultural, and children's applications,"
says Photobit's CEO and founder Sabrina Kemeny.
Two new products in Photobit's line of off-the-shelf videoconferencing
chips were unveiled in 1999. The new sensors produce color or
monochrome full-frame 8-bit digital video at 30 frames per second.
They feature electronic pan, tilt, and zoom, auto-exposure (with
manual override), and full programmability via a serial interface.
Besides videoconferencing, the devices will be used in video
cell phones and other small-format applications.
Photobit offers a unique choice of off-the-shelf and custom
products. Officials at Photobit are confident about the commercial
use of the technology, as image capture markets are expected
to expand exponentially in the next few years. Photobit is aiming
this technology at new markets where small size and low power
consumption are needed, such as digital cameras, PC video conferencing,
camcorders, and portable PC video phones. Other areas being pursued
by the company include the automotive industry, where Photobit
devices can provide night vision enhancement. For instance, image
sensor technology would be used in rear view mirrors that dim
in proportion to the amount of headlight glare from trailing
vehicle headlights.
In the medical market, CMOS-APS technology can be tapped for
x-ray products, including bone mineral density measurements.
This allows a physician to track the onset of osteoporosis with
less than one-hundredth the dosage of a dental x-ray to the patient.
NASA and the United States Space Foundation recognized Photobit's
efforts in commercializing the compact imaging system by inducting
Kemeny; Eric Fossum, chairman and chief scientist; Robert Nixon,
deputy product division manager; Barmak Mansoorian, new-product
marketing manager; and Roger Panicacci, senior engineer, into
the Space Technology Hall of Fame.
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