"Black Silicon" Image sensors

Snowleopard

Apparently this stuff was figured out back in like 1980 to be 100 or 1000 times more light sensitive than the silicone used in current imaging sensors. If that is case (35 years ago). Why aren't we using it now? I mean ISO 25,600 with no noise at all would be nice. Might even be able to get ISO 2,560,000 out of it with no in camera noise reduction.

I just haven't seen much on "Dark Silicone image sensors recently. Anyone heard anything, any engineer's know about this stuff?

ThomasHorton

I would imagine that it comes down to cost. Camera manufacturers do not try to make the best camera they can. They try to make the best camera that will sell at a specific cost/profit level.

Probably no one has been able to make a business case for switching to this Black Silicon.

Ironheart

Dark silicone is something way different than black silicon. Just sayin'...
Just because a given material has a given property, doesn't mean it is easy (cheap) to exploit commercially. Black silicon also kills staph and anthrax bacteria, but we don't see it used there either.

Andrewz

Image quality seems poor. Looks like they are marketing it for night vision.

http://sionyx.com/sensors/

Snowleopard

Thank you guys, The link for Sionyx, I did not read anywhere that they are using the different silicone in their imaging sensors, but it is interesting.

It's interesting to know it kills staph and anthrax bacteria also, but I am mainly interested in it for imaging sensors. There has to be more research on this somewhere.

Ironheart

http://sionyx.com/about-sionyx/
"SiOnyx is commercializing a patented semiconductor process that dramatically enhances the infrared sensitivity of silicon-based photonics. As a result, SiOnyx’s Black Silicon platform represents a significant breakthrough in the development of smaller, lower cost, higher performance photonic devices."
If you have one company making a go of it, others will be watching to see what happens. I'm sure there is research going on, both academic, and industrial. If the process becomes even reasonably cost effective and mature, you can bet the military will be all over it.

heartyfisher

We had a discussion or 2 on this forum about 5 years ago ... one thing I noticed is that it used to be 100 times more sensitive now on their website it states 10 times .. seems the "normal" tech is advancing rapidly..