Product, service

Caeleste’s products are twofold:

Image sensor design · Custom design of o Monolitic CMOS image sensors o Hybrid image sensors, i.e. ROIC + detector IC · Consulting and advise in early phase of imaging instrument conceptual design · R&D	Turnkey image sensor systems · From specification to product · Test and evaluation: o In-house electro-optical characterization o in-application at partner · Outsourcing and supervision of o Test camera, evaluation board/system, breakout board o Qualification, CMOS processing, post processing, packaging, volume testing · All aspects of bringing to production
Typical project flow:

Ø Our core competence is custom design of high-end image sensors and readout electronics. Both hybrid architectures, i.e. ROIC + external sensor array, and monolithic CMOS, mixed mode (analog & digital) pixels.

Ø Study, long term R&D and consulting, in highly challenging topics of radiation detection. Creating, optimizing, realizing: the optical system configuration; detector type and readout architecture; pixel topologies; scientific research on underlying limitations; identify and solve challenges.

Ø Caeleste offers you also the complete turn-key solution including

Þ subcontracting and supervision in Silicon processing

Þ in-house testing & evaluation, or at the partner’s site

Þ subcontracting & supervising volume, production test, production ramp-up

Þ outsourcing hybridization and packaging

Þ space qualification, other qualifications

Þ ramp-up to production

Added value and proprietary IP

Ø Next generation medical X-ray detectors

Ø High variety of pixel architectures allowing noise and EMI suppression, and usable in hybrid and monolithic mode imaging architectures.

Ø Design of Smart pixels: with analog radiation detection and digital in-pixel processing

Ø Radiation dose and unique single event tolerant image sensors

Ø Operation at elevated and/or at cryogenic temperatures

Ø Hybridization to virtually all types of photovoltaic and photo-resistive detectors

Ø Design for electromagnetic detection (visible, infrared, UV, X-ray, gamma) and particle detection (high energy particles, protons, electrons)

Markets and applications domains

Ø Medical, X-ray, Biometrics

Ø Space, Scientific

Ø Machine Vision, Factory Automation, Automotive

Caeleste's technology is based on IP that enables the realizations of the most challenging optical or radiation detector readout circuit, in single pixel, one- and two-dimensional arrays.

Photon counting X-ray pixels
Caeleste announced a family of techniques to realize the holy grail of X-ray imaging: photon counting. Unlike with state-of-the-art X-ray sensors that "integrate" secondary photocharge in classic CMOS pixels with associated noise and imperfections, photon counting allows true quantum limited imaging. Quantum limited pixels can do photon energy discrimination resulting in features as diagnostic "color X-ray", sharper and lower dose X-ray images. Caeleste's techniques enables building large arrays of such complex pixels with high yield.

Ultra low read noise visible/NIR light CMOS image sensors

Hybrid sensor - to electronic readout circuits that rival or outperform monolithic approaches
Traditional hybrid sensor readout circuitry has a known major drawback: the physical sensor (optical, mechanical, chemical) is remote from the Silicon (CMOS) readout chip. This distance, and the hybridization techniques, create excess parasitic interconnect capacitance, resistance and inductance. Moreover the geometric features act as antennas picking up spurious environment noise(electro-magnetic interference, EMI). In our novel, patented, approach, the effect of these parasitic circuits elements and antenna effects are strongly reduced or virtually cancelled. As a consequence the overall equivalent noise and signal to noise figures reach the level of monolithic sensors (monolithic: i. e. sensor and electronics in the same substrate). All performance advantages due to the hybrid approach are preserved.

monolithic CMOS image sensors with high fill-factor
Caeleste has the IP to design monolithic image sensors with high fill factor, not needing micro lenses, and still compatible with regular CMOS technology.

Time-gating pixels in CMOS technology
With this technology one is able to gate incoming light with sub-nanosecond accuracy. Application in fluorescence imaging, TOF ranging, 3D imaging, in-the-pixel demodulation.