Next Sony foveon alike patent!
Egami (translation here) spotted the next Sony sensor patent describing a Foveon alike sensor. With Foveon alike I mean a RGB 3-layer image sensor that in case of the Sony patent also includes tilted(!) pixels. As you know the advantage of such a 3 layer sensor is the color accuracy, sharpness and larger pixels (or possibility to have more pixels on the same sensor size). Now, it’s hard to understand from the google translation why these pixels have been titled. But if you saw some test of the latest generation Sigma Foveon sensor cameras than you will easily notice that at Low ISO the sensor really rocks! (while there are still massive noise problems on High ISO images).
Here are some test to check out: DP2 ISO test at Focus Numerique. A full camera review has been posted at Photographyblog, Luminous Landscape and ePhotozine.
I hope Sony will be able to overcome some of the Sigma Foveon technology limits and release a camera with a 3 layer sensor. Would push the image quality to a new level!
P.S.: There are two 46 Megapixel Merrill compact cameras from Sigma:
DP1 with 28mm lens at Amazon, BHphoto and of course on eBay.
DP2 with 45mm lens at BHphoto and on eBay.
More info: Foveon X3 sensor (Source: Wikipedia)
tesilab
7 months ago |Is it possible the tilted pixels are for wide angle lenses?
Sahaja
7 months ago |“Tilted pixels” might help with light striking the sensor at an angle. Could be useful with wide angle lenses – and it might allow more compact lens designs to work better than they do with most sensors.
Rawfa
7 months ago |A foveon like e-mount camera would be a dream come true…IF Sony is able to overcome Sigmas´ limitations so far.
ben
7 months ago |The site says the tilted pixels are supposed to help with High ISO (高感度）:
ソニーが画素を斜めに配置することで積層式撮像素子の高感度性能を向上させるを出願中です。
“Sony files [patent] for layered image sensor with tilted pixels to improve high ISO functionality.”
later in the article -
積層式の場合も長い(厚い)光路長は高感度に有利なようですが、バイアス電圧が高いと暗電流ノイズも増えると思うので、メリットが相殺されてしまうかもしれませんね。 ソニーの特許は短い(薄い)光路長を斜めに配置することで、実質的な光路長を長くし、光路長が長いメリットと短いメリットを同時に享受するようです。
“Layered sensors have a greater OPL (optical path lengths – length of light path times refraction index) which is advantageous for high ISO. But bias voltage is also higher, causing (dark current) noise to increase, canceling the merits. With Sony’s patent, the tilted pixel effectively increases the length of short OPLs, thus enjoying the merits of both long at short OPLs at the same time.”
Dunno if i translated that properly – i know nothing of optics and the article was a bit dense. Also the author seems to have made some confusing typos.
But either way, the tilting does seem to be for improving high ISO.
harvey
7 months ago |Yes, the typo’s confused me as well
But thanks mate, for translating! This way an international forum is worth millions!
hobel
7 months ago |“As you know the advantage of such a 3 layer sensor is the color accuracy, sharpness and larger pixels (or possibility to have more pixels on the same sensor size).”
Well, color accuracy is only better in spatial domain, for the single pixel itself, it seems to be damn hard to reproduce colors.
I know that faveon marketing says something else, but read the sourcecode of dcraw, there is some comments about that.
Muhammad
7 months ago |I believe the engraved pixel wells collect more photons than flat pixels, as their surface area is larger, it’s rather a simple and clever way to increase sensitivity and DR, another way is to use micro lenses
Denis
7 months ago |It looks like the engraved surface should be better than microlens: once reflected from the pixel surface light will come to another surface of the same pixel
ariliquin
7 months ago |Keep it up Sony! The day there is a large mp camera with full colour sensing, good ISO, good white balance is the day I sell everything and get it. This really is the only camera I want, everything else I have at the moment is a compromise while I wait patiently for a camera company to do this well.
Mark
7 months ago |does anyone have patents on a 2-layer foveon like sensor with varying layer thickness, or is this just not possible? I’m imagining this would work kind of like a color filter array, but you would gain the total light intensity at every pixel.
fem2008
7 months ago |A light trap – Fantastic!
This reminds of the old “Bucket Brigate” analog delay devices. They used “Potential Wells” to temporarily hold a charge until transferred to the next well – A Charge Trap.
Baki Çirkin
7 months ago |Sony do this sensor: http://bakicirkin.blogspot.com/2012/10/tunnel-sensor-technology.html
admin
7 months ago |WHat is that? You may explain it to me in english? Thanks
Baki Çirkin
7 months ago |Sory admin My English not good. The next generation sensor. I mentioned ideal sensor design.
carpinteyrojpt
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