Digital Image Sensor
1. The digital image sensor is a technology used to record electronic images. These image sensors are silicon microchips that are engineered to operate in different ways.
2. The engineering involved in these circuits is very complex and the techniques used to manufacture these devices are not standardized in the industry.
3. It is impractical to discuss the entire spectrum of manufacturing processes here, but they are noted because they give rise to the wide variety of applications for the digital image sensor.
4. These engineering practices involve creating features that are added to the bare sensor for use in specific applications ranging from machine vision in robotics, to cameras integrated into cellular phones and PDAs, to ultraviolet sensors on the Hubble Space Telescope
5. The most commonly recognized application of the digital image sensor is the digital camera. To get a sense of how image sensors are integrated in this application, their use in digital cameras will be explored.
6. This exploration will also include an explanation of some of the other major features of a digital camera, as one must having a working knowledge of the lens and the mechanism for determining color in order to fully understand the role of the digital image sensor.
7. One important thing to note about digital image sensors is that they are not all manufactured through the same processes.
8. The two main technologies used to fabricate the sensors are CCD(Charge Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor), which have certain key differences particularly in terms of performance, cost, and size
9. The digital camera is not the only application of the image sensor. Another interesting application that has just recently become possible is the pill camera, which is a camera that can be swallowed and take pictures of the inside of the intestinal tract.
10. As the technology used in the sensors progresses, there should be a multitude of exciting possible uses for the digital image sensor
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