Pasadena Company Created World’s First Commercially Available Quanta Image Sensors

A technology company based in Pasadena on Tuesday unveiled the world’s first commercially available line of a new type of camera sensor capable of detecting single photons.

The “quanta image sensors” created by Gigajot Technology “are capable of photon counting at room temperature while operating at full speed, and achieving high dynamic range — all in small pixel, high resolution formats,” the company said in a written statement.

The QIS technology boasts less noise than conventional small-pixel image sensors and allows images to be collected at “ultra-low light levels not previously possible,” according to Gigajot.

“Gigajot’s pioneering QIS products target high performance imaging applications such as scientific, medical, defense, industrial, and space,” the statement said.

The company is currently marketing a 16-megapixel version and a 4-megapixel version.

Gigajot plans to present the new products during the Symposium on VLSI Technology on Wednesday, representatives said.

Until now, the process of photon counting required specialized equipment and highly controlled lab environments, according to Gigajot.

With the new sensors, “[It] is now possible with a compact form-factor camera, operating at room temperature,  with the additional benefits of higher resolution and speed.

For researchers like  Don Figer, who directs the Center for Detectors and the Future Photon Initiative at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the development is significant.

“The ability to do photon counting at room temperature is a game changer for our research efforts in astrophysics and quantum information science,” he said.

More information on Gigajot Technology is available on the company’s website at gigajot.tech.