PixelVision to develo¥low-light images using electron-bombarded CCDs

PixelVision to develo¥low-light images using electron-bombarded CCDs

Last month, PixelVision (Beaverton, OR) announced it planned to enter the high-performance digital imaging market with charge-coupled-device (CCD) products developed in two divisions. The Advanced Sensors Division (Huntington Beach, CA) is headed by vice president and chief scientific officer James R. Janesick, formerly of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, CA). This division will carry out design, fabrication, wafer screening, packaging, characterization, and absolute characterization of custom CCDs and related sensors. Janesick explained, "Our technology direction will focus on a new class of high-performance miniature CCD camera systems based on smart and active CCDs."

Low-light imagers based on electron-bombarded CCDs (EBCCDs) will be developed by the Commercial Systems Division of PixelVision in Beaverton. George Williams, vice president and general manager, claims that the GenIV EBCCD cameras under development will make obsolete existing image-intensifier devices used for low-light-level imaging. The NV652 Night Video low-light camera will be PixelVision`s first product, scheduled for release at the end of this year, and this system will use low-noise amplification and back-illuminated and thinned CCD technology licensed from SITe (also in Beaverton) to achieve extremely low-light imaging performance.