Radiation-Tolerant CMOS Image Sensors

Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated-circuit image sensors that are highly tolerant of high-energy radiation ("radiation hard") are undergoing development. These devices are sensitive to visible light, yet are insensitive to diverse types of highly energetic radiation, including protons at kinetic energies >1 MeV, neutrons, heavy ions, high-energy g rays, x rays, and electrons. They can continue to function substantially as designed, even after exposure to radiation doses in excess of 10 megarad (Si).