Sheffield to lead UK active CMOS imaging development
The chip from MI-3 will begin image processing on-chip through the use of active pixel sensors (APS). Chips will also be developed for non-visible light from gamma and x-rays through the ultra-violet spectrum and down into the infra-red. The MI-3 project is part of the UK Research Councils Basic Technology Initiative and is a multi-disciplinary research group.
Allinson says that the traditional charge coupled device (CCD) imaging technology is too expensive and too slow for disposable applications such as medical screening.
“Also with CCDs you can only control the quality of an image by varying the exposure time and the aperture - much as you do with a normal film camera,” he says. “With APS devices, the device itself can control read-out and each individual part of the image is treated. For example, you can choose to look only at a specific part of an image in detail, rather than exposing the whole picture and then trying to zoom in to an interesting region.”
Specific applications include imaging mammograms with reduced the x-ray dose. The transistors in the CMOS chips can be programmed to ensure that the patient is exposed to the smallest possible dose of harmful radiation.
“This particular application could be in use in as little as two years,” Allinson believes. “In four to five years we may be able to use APS chips to provide bedside diagnostic tools that will detect cancer at the earliest possible stages, being easier and faster than current body scanners.”
Previous work has already developed technology for seeing through fog and smoke.
