Organic CMOS image sensor offers industry's highest dynamic range

By combining Fujifilm’s organic photoelectric conversion layer and Panasonic’s semiconductor device technology, the two companies were able to develop organic CMOS image sensor technology that nearly doubles the dynamic range of the best sensor currently on the market.

The CMOS image sensor offers a number of benefits over traditional image sensors, according to the press release, among which are the following:

• Higher dynamic range. By pairing Panasonic’s semiconductor device technology and a newly-developed noise-cancelling circuit, the sensor technology provides a dynamic range of 88 dB, which prevents highlight clipping in bright scenes and captures vivid images in low light.
• Higher sensitivity. Unlike traditional sensors, the organic CMOS image sensor is coated with organic film which can harvest all the light received on the sensor. This boosts the sensor sensitivity by 1.2 times compared to a conventional sensor, thus enabling the delivery of clear images even in low light.
• Higher range of incident angle. The thickness of the organic film has been reduced to 0.5 microns. This enables the expansion of the incident angle range to 60°, which enables more accurate color reproduction, eliminates color mixing, and expands the lens-design options, which can facilitate the reduction of overall camera size.
• Additional protection. Fujifilm has developed inorganic films to protect the organic films, which prevents the entry of moisture and oxygen, which can cause performance degradation. The new sensor has undergone reliability tests involving temperature, humidity, electrical voltage, and light, which the press release says paves the way for the use of the organic CMOS image sensor in a wide range of applications.

View the Fujifilm press release.

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