Infrared camera based on a curved retina
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Fabrication of Flexible Image Sensor Based on Lateral NIPIN Phototransistors
Published on: June 23, 2018
Delphine Dumas1, Manuel Fendler, Frédéric Berger
1Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, Léti, Minatec Campus, Optronics Department, Grenoble, France.
Abstract:
Design of miniature and light cameras requires an optical design breakthrough to achieve good optical performance. Solutions inspired by animals' eyes are the most promising. The curvature of the retina offers several advantages, such as uniform intensity and no field curvature, but this feature is not used. The work presented here is a solution to spherically bend monolithic IR detectors. Compared to state-of-the-art methods, a higher fill factor is obtained and the device fabrication process is not modified. We made an IR eye camera with a single lens and a curved IR bolometer. Images captured are well resolved and have good contrast, and the modulation transfer function shows better quality when comparing with planar systems.
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