31/05/2013
Graphene-based image sensor to enhance low-light photography
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Graphene-based image
sensor to enhance low-light
photography
By Colin Dunjohn
May 30, 2013
www.gizmag.com/graphene-imaging-sensor/27718/
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Graphene-based image sensor to enhance low-light photography
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Graphene-based image sensor to enhance low-light photography
A team of scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in
Singapore has developed a new image sensor from graphene that promises
to improve the quality of images captured in low light conditions. In tests, it
has proved to be 1,000 times more sensitive to light than existing
complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or charge-coupled
device (CCD) camera sensors in addition to operating at much lower
voltages, consequently using 10 times less energy.
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The new sensor is able to detect broad spectrum light, from the visible to
mid-infrared, with great sensitivity. This will make it ideal for use in all types
of cameras, including infrared cameras, traffic safety cameras, satellite
imaging, and more. According to NTU, this technology will allow
photographers to take much clearer images in harsh lighting conditions and,
when mass produced, estimates are that graphene sensors will be up to five
times cheaper than camera sensors today.
The research was led by Assistant Professor Wang Qijie from NTU’s School
of Electrical & Electronic Engineering and has been ongoing for two years.
“We have shown that it is now possible to create cheap, sensitive and
flexible photo sensors from graphene alone. We expect our innovation will
have great impact not only on the consumer imaging industry, but also in
satellite imaging and communication industries, as well as the mid-infrared
applications,” says Wang,
What is clearly exciting for the camera industry is how little needs to be
done to introduce graphene to existing CMOS sensors.
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Graphene-based image sensor to enhance low-light photography
“While designing this sensor, we have kept current manufacturing practices
in mind," explains Asst. Prof Wang. "This means the industry can in principle
continue producing camera sensors using the CMOS process, which is the
prevailing technology used by the majority of factories in the electronics
industry. Therefore manufacturers can easily replace the current base
material of photo sensors with our new nanostructured graphene material.”
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Graphene nano-structures
Graphene is a material composed of pure carbon with atoms arranged in a
regular hexagonal pattern. It is a one-atom thick layer of the mineral
graphite, a million times smaller than the thickest human hair and is known
to have a high electrical conductivity and is very light, with a 1-square-meter
sheet weighing only 0.77 milligrams.
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Asst. Prof Wang has devised a novel way to create nanostructures on
graphene which "trap" light-generated electron particles for a longer period
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31/05/2013
Graphene-based image sensor to enhance low-light photography
of time, translating into a stronger electrical signal. These electrical signals
are then processed into an image, such as a photograph captured by a
digital camera.
The "trapped electrons" are the key to achieving high photoresponse in
graphene, which makes it far more effective than the normal CMOS or CCD
image sensors, said Asst Prof Wang. Essentially, the stronger the electric
signals generated, the clearer and sharper the photos.
"The performance of our graphene sensor can be further improved, such as
the response speed, through nanostructure engineering of graphene, and
preliminary results already verified the feasibility of our concept," Asst. Prof
Wang says.
Camera ISO
Why is this so exciting for the photography industry? Camera ISO is one of
the three pillars of photography (the other two being aperture and shutter
speed). In simple terms, ISO is the level of sensitivity of your camera’s
image sensor to available light.
The majority of people taking pictures have probably never adjusted the
ISO setting on their cameras so here is an explanation. Essentially, a lower
ISO setting reduces your cameras sensitivity to light creating higher quality
images, while a higher ISO number increases sensitivity and your camera
sensor can capture images in low-light environments without having to use
a flash. But higher sensitivity comes at a cost – it adds grain or “noise” to
the pictures.
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Graphene-based image sensor to enhance low-light photography
ISO comparison in sports photography - click to enlarge (Photo: Colin
Dunjohn)
Of course, not all grain is bad and we often see creative uses of it in black
and white photography. But if you are a sports photographer shooting in a
poorly lit indoor stadium, in order to freeze action, you have to shoot with a
wide aperture (f 2.8 or lower) and try to keep your shutter speed above 500.
The only way to do this is to increase ISO and live with the resulting grainy
pictures. Asst. Professor Wang’s graphene sensor, being more sensitive, will
negate the need to increase ISO in low light settings.
Canon and Nikon in particular, have been battling each other to develop
the highest ISO levels with the least grain since the beginning of digital
photography and no doubt “wires are buzzing" with these new
developments. Asst. Prof Wang has already filed a patent through NTU’s
Nanyang Innovation and Enterprise Office for his invention and plans to find
industry partners to develop the graphene sensor into a commercial
product. Our senses tell us that he won't have to look too far.
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