Agenda

Agenda

Conference Day One - Wednesday 15 March Conference Day Two - Thursday 16 March Online Masterclass - Wednesday 1 March

8:00am

Registration and welcome refreshments

8:50am

Session 1: Business and manufacturing updates

Chair's opening remarks

9:00am

A new growth cycle for the CMOS image sensor industry

After having achieved $21.3B revenues in 2021, a similar limited growth pattern is expected for 2022 with 2.4% YoY. How will the CMOS image sensor industry come back to a steady expansion and the promise to pass the $30B revenues by 2028? Indeed, a new growth cycle is coming, supported not only by the opportunities in mobile and its multi-cameras approach, but also other applications for consumer, automotive, security and industrial. Investments in capacity and R&D are shaping the competitive landscape. Technology trends, including evolution in the sensor and logic stacking process, and emerging technologies such as metasurface devices and new imaging approaches will also be discussed.
Florian Domengie | Senior Technology & Market Analyst, Photonics & Sensing Division, Yole Intelligence

9:30am

Keynote: Teledyne's expanding vision - from sensing to decision support

Dr. Edwin Roks | EVP Teledyne Technologies Incorporated & Segment President, Teledyne Digital Imaging

10:00am

Towards hybrid event/image vision

Event Vision Sensors (EVS) determine at a pixel level whether a temporal contrast change beyond a predefined threshold is detected. Compared to CMOS image sensors (CIS) this new modality inherently provides data-compression functionality and hence, enables high-speed, low latency data capture while operating at low power. Numerous applications such as object tracking, 3D detection, or slow-motion are being researched based on EVS. Many applications require EVS sensors to be complemented by CIS information in order to get absolute measurements of the illuminance. Dual sensor configurations have several shortcomings, such as the parallax error of the camera collocation, the complexities in synchronization and added cost – e.g. through the need for two pairs of lenses, packages etc. Advanced wafer-level stacking technology allows for high resolution EVS functionality without severely sacrificing CIS performance. This talk will introduce OMNIVISION’s hybrid sensor technology and outline crucial aspects to be considered for enabling novel hybrid use-cases.
Andreas Süss | Senior Manager Novel Image Sensor Systems; Principal Engineer, CTO Office, OmniVision Technologies

10:30am

Networking refreshment break

11:15am

From 3D stacking to 3D CMOS image sensors: evolution, challenges and directions for manufacturing technologies and pixel architectures

CMOS Image sensors have evolved beyond passive 2D image capture to active decision making. Depth sensing has increased the accuracy of information and opened new application opportunities.

Pixel architectures have diversified from rolling shutters to differentiated sensors:

Global shutter pixels embedding memory
Direct and indirect time of flight based on single photon avalanche detection or fast photodiodes
Native high-dynamic-range pixels combining both electron and hole sensing.

The optical spectrum has also spread from visible to infrared, towards longer wavelengths for safety and power saving reasons. The new pixels deliver highly sought-after pitch reduction and can be optimized for new market opportunities. Some of the fundamental technologies for high performance pixels include deep isolation trenches, wafers stacking, optimizing diodes and transfer gates, and QE enhancement with silicon structuration. We are also researching opportunities to increase sensitivity through new materials like quantum dots to improve QE and density.
Hélène Wehbe-Alause | Director of Technology for Optical Sensors, Digital & Smart Power TR&D and Digital FMT, STMicroelectronics

11:45am

Foundry solutions addressing the future of CMOS image sensors

The CMOS image sensor landscape keeps evolving to address new applications, in Industry 4.0, medical, automotive or consumer imaging. CMOS foundries must adapt to the various ideas and concepts of image sensor suppliers in order to stay relevant. In this talk, we will discuss some of the solutions developed by foundries to expand the use of imaging technology, with examples in the fields of:

Infrared imaging,
Charge domain BSI Global shutter solutions
Above IC technologies going beyond Imaging

Benoit Dupont | Sensors and Display Marketing Director, Tower Semiconductor

12:15pm

Session 2: Testing and packaging

Theorical maximum resolution of an image sensor, with regards to information capacity

Trade-off between sensitivity and colour accuracy:

Background on colour filters and Bayer choices
Colour sensitivity metric
Information capacity of an image sensor:
Using the Shannon theorem, we show how to compute the information capacity of an image sensor
Examples of measurements
Theorical maximum information capacity of a camera:
Using the wave–particle duality

Laurent Chanas PhD | Imaging Director, DXOMARK

12:45pm

Developments in image sensor packaging and test

Latest developments in image sensors (IS) packaging, with focus on laminate iBGA packages for automotive applications. Process and reliability results of IS packages will be presented, together with measures taken to produce devices meeting automotive functional and reliability requirements. The additional challenges in packaging infrared IS will also be discussed. Strategies for IS testing will also be presented, touching on test complexities such as light source selection, package handling, and tester configurations required for the latest generation of IS. Closing remarks will focus on our future developments to meet the needs of the next generation of IS.
Alastair Attard | Director of Business Development - MEMS & Sensing Applications, UTAC Group

1:15pm

Networking lunch

Session 3: Industrial and scientific applications

Chair introduction

Markus Cappellaro | Product Manager and Principal, Carl Zeiss Microscopy Technology Center Munich

Detector developments for current and future ESA missions - challenges and opportunities

European Space Agency has an on-going interest in the further development and optimization of detectors across the waveband for space instrumentation. Detectors form a cornerstone in the measurement capabilities of space missions sensing radiation from Infrared to X-rays and beyond, and consequently the Agency is always concerned to have the highest possible detector performance available to instrument developers.

With a particular interest of upcoming missions in the infrared wavebands, ESA is pursuing a number of significant development programs aimed at ensuring the availability of suitable detection systems for these activities. For scientific space applications in the visible, contrary to many other fields of operation, CCDs continue to dominate, with this mature technology at the point where a fully customized and optimized design is pursued on a mission by mission basis. That being said, the Agency also recognizes the future role that CMOS image sensors will play and is actively pursuing the development of the technology building blocks necessary to make such detectors available to future instrumentation.

In this talk, the status of current detector and detector related development activities supported by the European Space Agency will be discussed.
Kyriaki Minoglou PhD | Head of Opto-electronics Section, European Space Agency (ESA/ESTEC)

3:00pm

C100, a novel CMOS detector optimised for 100 keV Cryo electron microscopy

Recent years have seen an explosion in the use of electron cryomicroscopy for determination of the structure of biological samples. CryoEM systems at 300keV can be expensive and recent publications suggest that in many cases the information recovered per unit damage could be 25% greater using cost effective 100 keV systems. C100 is a novel detector optimised for 100keV electrons. It contains a CMOS sensor with 2kx2k pixels with 54um pitch, 2000fps readout with 12b resolution which maximises performance in integrating and counting mode. We present results of the characterisation the sensor using 100keV electrons, with DQE, MTF and Landau plots.
Nicola Carlo Guerrini | Group Leader, CMOS Sensors Design Group, Science & Technology Facilities Council

3:30pm

Networking refreshment break

4:00pm

CIS packaging for automotive applications

CIS package trends (PLCC/CLCC/CSP/iBGA/Neopac)
CIS packages for automotive specific issues
New package with high reliability

Tae Sun Kim | Research Institute Director, ALT Co., Ltd

4:30pm

Virtually integrating microbolometer (deblurring thermal imagers)

Microbolometers are found in the low-end price segment of thermal imaging systems; they are relatively cheap and accurate, but have their limits, one of which is the time constant of the sensor, causing motion blur. This is a problem in every scenario where movement is in the image, being it mounted to a car or otherwise looking at movement.

The presentation will describe a method for mathematically converting a microbolometer into an integrating sensor, making it behave like a standard rolling shutter sensor with an acquisition time equal to its frame time. Up to a limit reducing the frame time, or increasing the frame rate, will further reduce motion artifacts in the image, reaching for virtual time constants below 1ms.
This allows the usage of the cheap bolometer sensors in applications where up to now cooled thermal imagers were the only option.
Julian Wingert | Software Engineer, Innovation Development Services, Basler AG

5:00pm

Chair's closing remarks and end of day one

5:30pm

Networking drinks reception

The Tattershall Castle

Join us for a networking drinks reception at The Tattershall Castle, a beautiful venue located on the River Thames at Victoria Embankment that offers stunning views of London.

The Tattershall Castle launched on the 24th of September 1934 and was a passenger ferry across the Humber estuary from 1934 to 1973, while also serving in the Second World War she was one of the first civilian ships to be fitted with radar. Decommissioned in 1974 before being towed to London in 1976 and then being turned into a restaurant in 1982. Located opposite the London Eye and between Westminster and Embankment tube stations. You are bound to be enchanted by the charm of The Tattershall Castle and its river views.

Timings: Coaches will leave Park Plaza Hotel promptly at 17:30, arriving at The Tattershall Castle at 18:00. The drinks reception will run until 20:00, after which delegates can either make their own way back to the hotel or extend their evening with a trip into the city.

Please note, transport will not be provided for return or onward journeys after the reception, delegates will need to make their own arrangements.

8:30am

Registration and morning refreshments

8:50am

Session 4: Technology futures - looking outside the box

Chair's opening remarks

Joint with Dr Renato Turchetta, CEO at Imasenic Advanced Imaging and Sara Pellegrini, Advanced Photonics Pixel Architect at STMicroelectronics

9:00am

Temperature dependence of performance parameters of a CMOS image sensor

In this presentation various performance parameters of an existing, commercially available image sensor will be discussed as a function of temperature. A temperature range from -30 deg.C to +70 deg.C will be used. The following characteristics will be highlighted : conversion gain, temporal noise (total, row, column), fixed-pattern noise (total, row, column), dark current, light sensitivity, PRNU, full-well capacity, maximum signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range and non-linearity. Some of these parameters hardly depend on the temperature, others strongly change with temperature, and not all of them have a positive temperature coefficient.
Albert Theuwissen | Founder, Harvest Imaging

9:30am

A 0.5MP, ultra-low-power, miniaturized global shutter image sensor with smart event detection modes and >36% QE at 940nm wavelength

This talk will introduce ams-Osram's new global shutter image sensor technology targeting consumer, IoT, and industrial applications. The 0.5MP sensor with 2.79um global shutter pixels, has a die size of only 2.3mm x 2.8mm, sports > 92% QE at visible and > 36% at 940nm while consuming only 20mW at 10bit, 30fps mode. This talk will focus on the architecture of the sensor, the design challenges encountered and the solutions we developed to meet the challenging specifications.
Adi Xhakoni | Principal Engineer, ams-osram

10:00am

Pixel based machine learning enabled true CNN "always on" functionality

Digital systems typically struggle to provide an “always on“ operation because of the need to continuously poll, digitize and analyze data quickly enough not to miss a transaction or seem slow to function, especially when they contain an analog sensor. The sensors are the system's eyes, ears and fingers. Sensors can focus on what we care about and ignore the rest – a face, another car, an intruder, a sound, a change. Next generation sensors, for the first time, are becoming smart enough to deal with events, make decisions, and perform complex analysis. This is the future of sensors.
David Schie | CEO, AIStorm

10:30am

Networking refreshment break

11:00am

SWIR CQD photodiode arrays for global shutter sensors, 3D imaging, and multispectral detection in industrial, automotive, consumer, and health monitoring applications

The SWIR band from 1000-2400 nm offers opportunities for optical systems that are not available to visible and near infrared-based systems. These advantages arise from the increased transmission of longer wavelength photons through scattering obscurants, plastics, silicon, and OLED backplanes; higher eye safety thresholds for SWIR-based lasers; and the ability to detect infrared spectral signals for important chemical signatures such as skin, glucose, and hydrocarbons. SWIR Vision will provide an overview of their approach to building CQD-based sensors and how it enables applications requiring small pixel pitch, CMOS-competitive pricing, and high-speed detection.
Dr. Ethan Klem | Chief Technology Officer, SWIR Vision Systems

11:30am

Sony's contribution to industrial & environmental challenges

How Sony can contribute to solve the challenges in industrial inspection, recognition and data reduction utilising the latest image sensor technology.
Satoshi Keino | Senior Image Sensor Applications Engineer, Sony Europe B.V.

12:00pm

A new paradigm of sensors working across all lighting environments

Recent advances in the development of image sensors and laser sources are sparking new innovations in the field of depth sensing. These advances enable the design of 3D cameras with high ambient light tolerance up to an operating range of 25 meters. This combination of performance features is essential for effective AI/ML applications in daylight conditions. This new generation of 3D cameras will not only change the industry standard for mid-range ambient light tolerance but will also usher in a new paradigm of sensors working across all lighting environments. An overview of the respective technologies, their current product development status, and their performance data are discussed.
Ian Blasch | Senior Director, Jabil

12:30pm

Networking lunch

1:30pm

Image and depth in one shot: a single-lens 3D camera and its applications

Combined 2 and 3D sensing eliminates the need for complex image and depth matching algorithms in the reconstruction of real objects and scenes. Seamless image and depth perception is also a requirement for millimetre and submillimetre scale metrology and inspection and for immersive AR applications such as lip tracking as well as applications in health care. We introduce a compact single shot depth sensor based on innovative optics and advanced algorithms that simultaneously capture a 2D image and a depth map in real time for perfectly matched image and depth (at 30, 60 and 90 frames per second). This approach consumes very low power (250 mW) within a miniaturized 3D-camera.
Jorge Blasco PhD | CTO, photonicSENS

2:00pm

Physics-based model of CMOS for complete camera system simulation

As cameras continue to increase in popularity for various applications from mobile assistants to autonomous driving and augmented reality, designers face shortened design cycles that require more efficient design and simulation processes. It is possible to build digital twins to reduce, simplify and improve development and integration of cameras into complex systems. In this presentation, we will use our recent development to highlight some concrete use cases such as influence of dark current, sensor temperature, colour shift from micro lens array, HDRI Image processing, based on simulated images/video from virtual complex scenes and lighting conditions.
Etienne Lesage | Senior Product Manager, Ansys

2:30pm

Accurate colour reproducibility of Organic-Photoconductive-Film image sensor and its application

Development of an organic-photoconductive-film (OPF) CMOS image sensor that performs photoelectric conversion with an organic thin film. The OPF image sensor has features including wide dynamic range(WDR), global shutter(GS), tunability of photoelectric conversion wavelength, and low colour mixture due to its unique pixel structure in which organic thin films are stacked over the circuit. In this presentation, we will discuss accurate colour reproducibility of OPF image sensor. The thinning of the photoelectric conversion layer due to the high light absorption rate of the organic thin film suppress colour mixture and achieve high colour reproducibility. This accurate colour reproducibility, WDR, and GS contribute to the construction of robust imaging/sensing systems that do not depend on light source colour temperature, illuminance, or speed.
Yoshiaki Sato | Staff Researcher Image Sensor Design Team, Panasonic Holdings Corporation

3:00pm

Challenges in scientific cameras and applications - lower noise, higher dynamic range and complex image processing

Dr. Gerhard Holst | Senior Imaging Product & Application Scientist, Excelitas PCO GmbH

3:30pm

Chair's closing remarks and end of conference

3:00pm

Recent Developments in the CIS World Over the last 12 months

Online Masterclass (3 hours)

Join Albert Theuwissen as he takes a look back of the developments over the last 12 months that took place in the CMOS image sensor world. The masterclass will offer critical comments on published papers , conference presentations and data-sheets. In many cases the information made available to the general public contains a lot of rubbish and data that looks way too positive. Albert will analyse the figures and numbers announced and will compare them to data available from other companies. A real, unbiased benchmark of performance data will be given in the workshop.

Session 1