Eyeo bags €15M for color-splitting sensor tech

Imec spinoff Eyeo Imaging has emerged from stealth by announcing the successful closure of a 15-million-euro seed funding round. Headquartered in Eindhoven with an R&D office in Leuven, the firm will use the proceeds to drive the commercialization of new image sensor technology with “drastically” increased light sensitivity.

For decades, image sensors have relied on the application of red, green and blue color filters on pixels to make your everyday color picture or video. Color filters, however, block a large portion of the incoming light and thereby limit the camera’s sensitivity. Furthermore, they limit the ability to scale the pixel size below about 0.5 micron. These longstanding issues have stalled advancements in camera technology, constraining both image quality and sensor efficiency.

In smartphone cameras, manufacturers have compensated for this limitation by increasing the sensor to capture more light. While this improves low-light performance, it also leads to larger, bulkier cameras. Compact, high-sensitivity image sensors would enable slimmer smartphones, as well as benefit other applications, such as robotics and AR/VR devices.

Eyeo introduces a novel image sensor architecture that eliminates the need for traditional color filters, maximizing sensitivity without increasing sensor size. Using vertical waveguides, incoming light is split into colors and directed to the appropriate sensor pixel, tripling sensitivity compared to existing technologies. This is particularly valuable in low-light environments, where current sensors struggle to gather enough light for clear, reliable imaging.

Additionally, unlike traditional filters that block certain colors (information that’s then interpolated through software processing), Eyeo’s waveguide technology allows pixels to receive complete color data. This approach doubles resolution, delivering sharper, more detailed images for applications that demand precision, such as computational photography, machine vision and spatial computing.

“Eyeo is fundamentally redefining image sensing by eliminating decades-old limitations. Capturing all incoming light and drastically improving resolution is just the start – this technology paves the way for entirely new applications in imaging, from ultracompact sensors to enhanced low-light performance, ultra-high resolution and maximum image quality,” says CEO Jeroen Hoet of Eyeo.

Eyeo will use the seed funding to further improve its sensor designs, optimize the waveguide technology for production scalability and accelerate the development of prototypes for evaluation. The firm has already established partnerships with leading image sensor manufacturers and foundries. The first evaluation kits are expected to become available within the next two years.

Top image credit: Eyeo