Photonic routers for solid-state imaging

A color router with perfect optical efficiency, enabling smaller, higher-functioning cameras.

About the Technology

Most cameras today separate light using color filters, which absorb, and waste, more than half of incoming light. This limits image quality and camera performance, especially in low-light conditions. Our photonic color router substantially improves on this paradigm by directing every photon to the right pixel color detector, making possible imaging with up to 100% optical efficiency.

Our technology uses nanopatterned dielectrics to enable lossless color routing that delivers two to four times better light efficiency than existing solutions. The result is sharper images, including in low-light conditions, using a subwavelength technology that can downscale without resolution tradeoffs to enable smaller form factors in the future. Our photonic routers can be built using standard semiconductor processes and have already drawn interest from phone manufacturers and the U.S. government.

With HIT Fund support, the team will establish the best path to commercialization and continue to de-risk color router design and develop prototypes to support customer engagement.

Team Members