Patent: Organic Image Sensor Ideas

[Canon Rumors Guy]

Canon continues to provide R&D resources into organic image sensors. Panasonic and Fujifilm are also putting resources into this technology and may actually be ahead of Canon with working examples of organic sensors.</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.canonnews.com/canon-continues-to-look-at-organic-sensors">Canon News</a> breaks down Japan Patent Application 2018-011037:</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>This patent application deals with the thermal noise at the time of reset, and when that is improves has the effect of improving dynamic range by increasing the efficiency of conversion.</p>


<p>Organic sensors could very well be the “next big thing” to hit ILC’s as most our cameras have entered into diminishing returns for improvements.</p></blockquote>
<p>The good news with all of these new sensor patent applications is I’m actually starting to understand them. My culinary background hasn’t been a great tool in that regard.</p>
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[Mt Spokane Photography]

I don't think that we are close to any practical application of organic sensors, as noted, everyone is looking at them in order to see if they can be made to work, and if they are practical. Its still early.

I'm still waiting for black silicone to show up.

 

[mb66energy]

Organic compounds often are not very stable over a long time (see O(rganic)LED displays) but the vast amount of different organic compounds that can be built on the elements of the periodic system using the "backbone building block" carbon gives a lot of flexibility.

I think of different layers for different wavelengths each transparent for the complementary wavelength range: The red sensitive layer converts "red photons" into a signal while it is transparent for green and blue light which is evaluated in the layers below - an organic analogon to Sigmas Foveon sensors.

But it is only interesting if your camera cannot be infected by bacteria which eat the organic layers away.

I sympathize with Mt Spokanes "still early" remark - but the tool box of anorganics is very limited compared to the organic toolbox if you need functional materials and it's good to look into the organic toolbox & improve it.

 

[jolyonralph]

You don't necessarily need it to be stable for a long time.

Think about a cellphone camera sensor. No need for that to work more than 5 years at the very most.

 

[Canoneer]

It might be a little late in the game for Canon to step into organic CMOS development - unless they've been holding out on us for years with a working prototype. I imagine Fuji and Panny will be debuting Organic camera models with global shutters by 2019.

Canon should upset the apple cart by casually unveiling an oversampled binary image sensor at Photokina. You know, something so good it's absurd. Like a new D1 XR model with a 240MP sensor that uses spatial and temporal oversampling to produce RAW files with obscene amounts of dynamic range, color accuracy, and file sizes that compel them to skip XQD cards and go strait to CFexpress.

Okay maybe not something that dramatic... But single-photon pixel imagers seem to be the next step after conventional CMOS, so Canon should start looking there rather than playing catch up to Fuji/Panny organic CMOS.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

It might be a little late in the game for Canon to step into organic CMOS development - unless they've been holding out on us for years with a working prototype. I imagine Fuji and Panny will be debuting Organic camera models with global shutters by 2019.

Canon should upset the apple cart by casually unveiling an oversampled binary image sensor at Photokina. You know, something so good it's absurd. Like a new D1 XR model with a 240MP sensor that uses spatial and temporal oversampling to produce RAW files with obscene amounts of dynamic range, color accuracy, and file sizes that compel them to skip XQD cards and go strait to CFexpress.

Okay maybe not something that dramatic... But single-photon pixel imagers seem to be the next step after conventional CMOS, so Canon should start looking there rather than playing catch up to Fuji/Panny organic CMOS.

I'm skeptical about them showing up in a conventional stills camera soon. They are apparently very expensive and will be marketed towards cine cameras first. likely super 35 sized sensors.

Even more likely is cell phone sensors, thats where more sensitivity is needed badly. Sony is likely well along with them, just not trying to raise their stock value by making overly optimistic announcements.

 

[Sean C]

They can be filing defensive patents, patents they intend to license or intended to keep their options open for the future. They might be funding research as a hedge to make sure they have in house expertise to catch up if a competitor manages a breakthrough. They might something with applications in an area where pricing and longevity aren't barriers so long is performance is otherwise unobtainable. Scientific equipment for bio/drug research for example - will pay for an edge as success (first!) is so profitable.

 

[rrcphoto]

They can be filing defensive patents, patents they intend to license or intended to keep their options open for the future.

there's too many of them.