Space Tech Now Essential in Daily Life

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Groundbreaking "camera-on-a-chip" technology that was originally developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for use in space missions is now ubiquitous in smartphones, webcams, automobiles, and medical devices worldwide. The development of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel image sensors by Dr. Eric Fossum and his team at JPL in the 1990s has had a profound impact, enabling the explosion of the cell phone industry and revolutionizing many aspects of our daily lives.

Why it matters

The CMOS image sensor technology pioneered at JPL has become an essential component in a wide range of consumer electronics and scientific instruments, dramatically transforming how we capture, share, and utilize visual information in our everyday lives. This innovation has enabled major advancements in fields like space exploration, medical diagnostics, and autonomous vehicles.

The details

In the 1990s, Dr. Eric Fossum and his team at JPL developed a new approach to CMOS image sensor technology, applying a technique commonly used for charge-coupled devices (CCDs) to reduce signal noise and improve image quality. This breakthrough allowed CMOS sensors to produce high-quality images suitable for scientific applications, in contrast to earlier CMOS sensors that had been too noisy. Several companies then partnered with Fossum to further refine the CMOS technology, leading to its widespread adoption in consumer electronics and scientific instrumentation.

• In 1990, Dr. Eric Fossum was hired at JPL to advance CCD technology for space missions.
• In 1995, Fossum and Dr. Sabrina Kemeny licensed the CMOS sensor technology from CalTech and founded Photobit to develop the technology further.
• In 1996, Fossum left JPL to work at Photobit full-time.
• In 2001, Photobit was acquired by Micron Technology, which devoted more resources to CMOS sensor development.
• By 2013, over 1 billion CMOS sensors were manufactured each year, and that number has since grown to about 7 billion per year.

What’s next

The CMOS image sensor technology developed at JPL continues to evolve, with new applications and improvements being explored for use in future space missions and scientific instruments.