ThermoTrex Gets $3.7 Million to Develop Image Sensors

SAN DIEGO, Calif., May 7 -- ThermoTrex Corp. has received an additional $3.7 million in funding to develop active-pixel digital image sensors as part of a three-year, $15 million contract from the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO). ThermoTrex received a total of $3.6 million in funding for this project in 1998. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command is administering the BMDO contract.
ThermoTrex is applying CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor technology that it developed over the last several years through R&D related to the company's full-field digital mammography system. The term active pixel is used because each pixel contains not only a photoconductor element but also active amplifier circuitry for readout of the pixel signal. Military applications for CMOS sensors could include improved night-vision systems, while potential commercial uses include medical imaging and improved sensors for electronic equipment such as video recorders and digital cameras.