Photobit Corporation Wins Broad Patent for "Camera-On-a-Chip" Technology

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 12, 1999--Photobit Corporation, the leading supplier of CMOS image sensors, announced today the issuance of a broad U.S. patent for camera-on-a-chip technology.

The patent, titled "CMOS Active Pixel Sensor Type Imaging System On a Chip," covers the first major breakthrough in image sensors since the development of the solid-state charge-coupled device (CCD) in the 1970s. It is assigned to the California Institute of Technology, which earlier granted to Photobit an exclusive license to the technology. The new patent adds to Photobit's exclusively licensed patent portfolio.

CMOS active-pixel image sensor technology, invented at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1993, enables the integration of a complete imaging system, including pixel array and control area, onto a single piece of silicon. This greatly reduces power consumption and lowers the number of parts needed in finished imaging products, among other benefits. Digital cameras-on-a-chip have many industry applications and are currently available from Photobit as both custom and off-the-shelf products. The leaders of the NASA development team founded Photobit in 1995 to commercialize the groundbreaking technology. They include Dr. Sabrina Kemeny, CEO; Dr. Eric Fossum, Chairman and Chief Scientist; and Mr. Robert Nixon, Vice President of Engineering. Dr. Fossum and Mr. Nixon are co-inventors on U.S.Patent No. 5,841,126, issued on November 24, 1998.