MARCH 10--Foveon Inc. (Santa Clara, CA; www.foveon.com) has signed a license agreement for the manufacture and distribution of its X3 image-sensor technology with National Semiconductor (Santa Clara, CA; www.national.com). The agreement expands Foveon's market reach for the Foveon X3 and related technologies.
"Foveon has developed a large portfolio of image-sensor products and image-capture technologies that we are bringing to market through partners. Through National's worldwide sales and marketing organization we will see the accelerated adoption of X3-based products in key markets," said Jim Lau, president and CEO of Foveon.
The Foveon X3 image sensor is a full-color image sensor that captures red, green, and blue light at every location in the image plane. The image sensor uses Foveon X3 Silicon Color Filter technology, which leverages the fact that silicon absorbs different wavelengths of light at different depths. The technology uses the placement of photodetectors at different depths within the silicon to detect blue, green, or red light.
"Foveon's X3 technology fundamentally changes the way that image-capture devices are designed," said Brian L. Halla, National's chairman, president, and CEO. "We look forward to incorporating Foveon's image-sensor technology into National Semiconductor's portfolio of imaging products for our customers." The Foveon X3 full-color image sensor is currently shipping in the Sigma SD9 digital SLR camera.
