Development details

An experimental two-dimensional semiconductor could act as a “smart filter” by harnessing the power of ambient light and significantly improve the quality of photos taken with inexpensive cameras. The 0.4 x 0.4 inch (1 x 1 centimeter) platform consists of a 100 x 100 pixel array that is just a few atoms thick, meaning the chip is transparent.

Each of the 10,000 pixels in the filter is an “optoelectronic neuron”; This name is given to the structure created by scientists. Each structure consists of a transparent phototransistor, which converts light particles into electrons, and a liquid crystal modulator, which forms a layer when all pixels are combined. This layer was then connected to an array of electrodes.

This visual computing platform responds to ambient light and adjusts pixels to be partially transparent or opaque to selectively reduce highlights or flare. In experiments, scientists combined the smartphone camera with a filter to reduce glare in images taken with the smartphone camera.

According to the researchers, this technology not only paves the way for better images from smartphones, but can also be used in detection and detection systems such as in autonomous vehicles or in finding small defects in robot assembly lines. Because they are too expensive for the average consumer, they can be used in scientific and industrial settings.

An inexpensive device a few centimeters in size can make a low-power camera work like an ultra-high-resolution camera.
– says study co-author Aydoğan Özcan, professor of electrical engineering and computer engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Scientists explain their technology: English video

Light-based computing is an emerging field where many experiments are being conducted to create prototype devices and chips. For example, scientists recently proposed a light-based processor that could enable a super-smart artificial intelligence system. Another team recently proposed a similar chip that could be embedded into existing components to accelerate AI learning.

But for light-based computing powerful infrared lasers are often needed. They operate in a narrow range of the electromagnetic spectrum and absorb light over time, which can slow down data processing times. An alternative is to use energy-efficient materials that can absorb a lot of light, but are useless in areas where transparency is required, such as photography, because they are too thick.

The difference between previous developments and this new “smart filter” is works with ubiquitous low-power ambient lightIt uses 2D transparent semiconductor material instead of powerful lasers.