SeeDevice named Semiconductor Review’s Company of the Year

SILICON VALLEY -- SeeDevice Inc., a fabless image sensor developer famous for its quantum-effect CMOS (QMOS) sensors capable of expanding vision beyond the visible light spectrum, has been chosen as this year’s semiconductor technology startup by the industry’s renowned magazine Semiconductor Review.

The Orange, CA-based image sensor chip designer announced on Monday that Semiconductor Review has named it Company of the Year of the Top 10 Semiconductor Tech Startups 2023.

The established US magazine reviews the latest developments in the semiconductor space and selects its top 10 next-generation chip startups every year.

SeeDevice was founded in 2017 by Korean-American nanoengineered CMOS image sensor technology expert Hoon Kim, who is also the company’s chief executive officer.

A CMOS sensor is an electronic chip that converts photons to electrons for digital processing. CMOS is an acronym of complementary metal oxide semiconductor.

CMOS sensors are used to create images in digital cameras, digital video cameras, digital CCTV cameras, astronomical telescopes, scanners and barcode readers. The technology plays a key role in machine vision for robots, optical character recognition (OCR), satellite photographs and RADAR images.  

QUANTUM TECH-BACKED CMOS SWIR SENSORS

SeeDevice’s most notable development is the QMOS short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensor, which extends the range of pure CMOS sensors to see beyond visible light into the SWIR region thanks to plasmonics and quantum tunneling technologies.

"SeeDevice’s patented silicon-based quantum effect photodetector technology delivers high-performance SWIR capabilities in proven, cost-effective standard CMOS processes. It enables mass production and we're ready," SeeDevice CEO Kim said in a press release on Monday. 

To achieve a similar effect, other alternatives are being tested, such as indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs)-based CMOS sensors that are highly sensitive to these wavelength ranges. But the materials cost too much to build sensors, according to industry experts.

“SWIR has not been actively explored due to technical limitations despite its high potential,” said Dr. Kim. “We will be the game changer for popularizing SWIR sensors worldwide by utilizing them for industrial applications and products that are more accessible to consumers.”

SeeDevice has utilized quantum optical technology to develop quantum sensors, which have been recently upgraded through a technology partnership with global fabless LSI company MegaChips Corp.

It is also developing test sensors for John Deere, a US agricultural and heavy equipment giant, the company said.

Its CEO Kim boasts more than 25 years of research experience in nanophotonic and quantum electronics. He will give a keynote speech at Inside Quantum Technology (IQT) NYC 2023, the leading conference and exhibition organization covering quantum computing and technology worldwide, to open Oct. 24 in New York.

Global chip giants like Nvidia Corp. and Intel Corp. will also participate in the conference.

Write to Jin-seok Choi at iskra@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.