Physical Limits to the Performance of Imaging Systems

SEP 01, 1989

A half‐century of electronic imaging technology has begun to match and even surpass the performance of the eye, an amazingly sophisticated photon detector perfected by evolution.

DOI: 10.1063/1.881180

Albert Rose

Paul K. Weimer

Our visual system provides our principal contact with the world around us. This system, thanks to millions of years of natural development, achieved a high degree of perfection long before humans arrived on the scene. To attain such perfection, these evolutionary processes had to recognize the quantum nature of light—a remarkable accomplishment.

This article is only available in PDF format

References

1. N. Ben‐Yosef, A. Rose, J. Opt. Soc. Am. 68, 935 (1978).https://doi.org/JOSAAH
2. J. L. Schnapf, D. A. Baylor, Sci. Am., April 1987, p. 40.
3. A. Rose, Vision: Human and Electronic, Plenum, New York (1973).
4. A. Rose, in Advances in Electronics, vol. 1, L. Marton, ed., Academic, New York (1948), p. 131.
5. C. H. Séquin, M. F. Tompsett, Charge Transfer Devices (Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics, suppl. 8), L. Marton, ed., Academic, New York (1975).
6. M. Blouke, B. Corrie, D. Heidtmann, F. H. Yang, M. Winzenread, M. L. Lust, H. H. MarshIV, J. R. Janesick, Opt. Eng. 26, 837 (1987).https://doi.org/OPEGAR
7. P. K. Weimer, S. V. Forgue, R. R. Goodrich, Electronics 23, 70 (1950).https://doi.org/ELECAD
8. A. Rose, P. K. Weimer, H. B. Law, Proc. IRE 34, 424 (1946).https://doi.org/PIREAE
9. P. K. Weimer, RCA Rev. 10 (3), 366 (1949).https://doi.org/RCARCI
10. G. A. Morton, J. Ruedy, Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics, vol. 12, L. Marton, ed., Academic, New York (1960), p 183.
11. L. K. Van Geest, in Photoelectronic Imaging Devices Advances in Electronics and Electron Physics, vol. 74), B. L. Morgan, ed., Academic, New York (1988), p. 1.
12. K. Tanioka, J. Yamazaki, K. Shifara, K. Taketoshi, T. Kawamura, S. Ishioka, Y. Takasaki, IEEE Electron Dev. Lett. EDL‐8, 392 (1987).https://doi.org/EDLEDZ
13. Y. Tsuchlya, E. Inuzuka, T. Kurono, M. Hosoda, J. Imaging Technol. 11 (5), 215 (1985).https://doi.org/JITEEU
14. Y. Isozaki, J. Kumada, S. Okude, C. Ogusu, N. Goto, IEEE Trans. Electron Dev. ED‐28, 1500 (1981).https://doi.org/IETDAI
15. I. Akiyama, T. Tanaka, E. Oda, T. Kamata, K. Masubuchi, K. Arai, Y. Ishihara, in Digest of Technical Papers, 1986 IEEE Int. Solid‐State Circuits Conf., IEEE, New York (1986), p. 96.
16. S. Manabe, Y. Matsunaga, M. Iesaka, S. Uya, A. Furukawa, K. Yana, H. Nozaki, Y. Enda, Y. Egawa, Y. Ide, M. Kimura, N. Harada, Digest of Technical Papers, 1988 IEEE Int. Technical Conf., IEEE, New York (1988), p. 50.
17. D. F. Barbe, S. B. Campana, in Advances in Image Pickup and Display, vol. 3, B. Kazan, ed., Academic, New York (1977), p. 171.
18. M. Noda, T. Imaide, T. Kinugasa, R. Nishimura, IEEE Trans. Consumer Electron. CE‐32, 329 (1986).https://doi.org/ITCEDA
19. M. Sivilotti, M. A. Mahowald, C. A. Mead, in Stanford Conf. on Very Large Scale Integration, P. Losleben, ed., MIT P., Cambridge, Mass. (1987), p. 295.
20. K. Kioi, S. Toyoyama, M. Koba, Technical Digest, 1988 IEEE Int. Electron Devices Mtg., IEEE, New York (1988), p. 66.

More about the authors

Albert Rose, Chronar Corporation, Princeton, New Jersey.

Paul K. Weimer, RCA David Sarnoff Research Center, Princeton.