[ozlizard]

This sounds very interesting!

InVisage

[jogiba]

QuantumFilm is ideal for a wide range of image-sensing technologies including security cameras, automotive cameras and military applications. The first QuantumFilm image sensors, targeting high-end mobile handsets and smartphones, will sample in Q4 of 2010.

InVisage

It looks like the target market is not consumer digicams.

[lithos]

What "Quantum" means in literature.

[mattdm]

InVisage

It looks like the target market is not consumer digicams.

It looks to me that they're not able to make the things at larger sensor sizes either cheaply enough or with few enough defects (same thing, really, I suppose).

It'll be interesting to see if they're able to scale up in the coming years.

They're also interestingly silent about video; I wonder what the read speed is.

[rvannatta]

This sounds very interesting!

InVisage

If it performs as described, it will resolve a lot of complaints that many now
make about the digital cameras. As I understand the process a surface layer
effectively 'glows' for a moment in response to exposure, and the silicon underneath takes its own sweet time to analyize the 'glow' and record it.

This would seem me to present opportunities for dramatic increases in ISO ratings
and in dynamic range. If you can increase the ISO by a factor of 3 or 4, and
widen the dynamic range by effectively taking multiple images of the glowing layer
which then can be sorted in post image processing, suddenly very small optics
can be very effective.

If it works it is indeed a game changer.

[falconeye]

This sounds very interesting!
InVisage

Thanks for the quote.
Interesting read indeed.

If it works it is indeed a game changer.

To some extend only.
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Some bits and pieces to look at:

InVisage

- Claim to increase quantum efficiency (QE) from 45% (now) to 90%
- Claim to increase fill factor from 50% (now) to 100%

As a matter of fact though, microlenses deliver much higher effective fill factors already and monochrome sensors are capable of up to 80% QE already. It is the shift in color between absorbed and emitted photon which make this thing interesting (to make usable the wavelength with high QE). One reason for the lower QE of color CMOS is the Bayer filter though.


Ted Sargent, Univ. of Toronto short video profile

Palo Alto company creation with Ted Sargent from Canada as technology advisor. Clearly their target audience at this stage in time are investors

Some of Ted Sargent publication: Colloidal Quantum-Dot Photodetectors Exploiting Multiexciton Generation -- Sukhovatkin et al. 324 (5934): 1542 -- Science (needs a login)

An publicely accessible work on topic, interesting read: Photodetectors based on colloidal quantum dots (MIT thesis).

About colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals: Quantum dot - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Conclusion:

Interesting technology but as we are already close to the physical limits of laws of nature, the improvements in noise performance may not be as huge as some may think. One stop seems feasible to me. But they are far from being there yet.


Personally, I see the largest potential in a way to excite different kinds of nanocrystals which then emmitt different wavelength to be registered separetely in order to get rid of the Bayer filter. A yet to be made invention. That would be the biggest improvement. As cooled monochrome astro sensors are close to the feasible already.

[Torphoto]

Lets see how this new tech scales, as has happened in the past new tech comes out, works but isn't a real game changer or is too expensive and current old tech still forges ahead.