Sony IMX611 is a direct time-of-flight (dToF) SPAD depth sensor for smartphones that deliver the industry’s highest photon detection efficiency.
Sony IMX611 is a direct time-of-flight (dToF) SPAD depth sensor for smartphones that deliver the industry’s highest*1 photon detection efficiency. The IMX611 employs a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) pixel structure which enables it to achieve the highest photon detection efficiency of 28%. This also results in lower power consumption of the entire system while enabling higher-accuracy measurement of the distance of an object. This sensor also enables 3D spatial recognition, AR occlusion, motion capture/gesture recognition, and other such functions. Furthermore, the sensor incorporates a proprietary signal processing function into the logic chip inside the sensor which makes it possible to reduce the load of post-processing, thereby simplifying overall system development and lowering the system cost and time to the market. The IMX611 make depth-sensing technology more accessible for the smartphone manufacturers
According to the company the IMX611 employs a stacked configuration, where a Cu-Cu connection is used to achieve conduction for each pixel between the back-illuminated SPAD pixel chip (top) and the logic chip equipped with a distance-measuring processing circuit (bottom). These proprietary pixel structures combine to deliver the industry’s highest photon detection efficiency, at 28%, when using a wavelength of 940 nm, which is commonly used in laser light sources for smartphones. This enables highly accurate recognition and reduces the power consumption of the overall system.
The company has incorporated a proprietary signal processing function into the logic chip inside the sensor, the RAW information acquired from the SPAD pixels is converted into distance information to output, and all this is done within the sensor. This new sensor will generate opportunities to create new value in smartphones, including functions and applications that utilize distance information.
