JANUARY 31--Agilent Technologies Inc. (Palo Alto, CA; www.agilent.com) has agreed to acquire the intellectual property and certain other assets of Pixel Devices International Inc. (PDI), a developer of CMOS image sensor technology. Upon the close of the transaction, key employees of the Sunnyvale, CA-based firm will join Agilent's Semiconductor Products Group, including PDI's chief technical officer, CMOS imaging pioneer Boyd Fowler.
PDI's focus has been on ultralow-noise CMOS image sensors for industrial and biomedical systems. Their "active reset" technology can reduce noise by one or two orders of magnitude compared to traditional CMOS pixel technologies, enabling low-light imaging for embedded cell phone cameras or for high-speed industrial and biomedical camera applications.
Agilent can take advantage of PDI's technology as it produces next-generation image sensors for a wide range of applications. Agilent is a leading provider of CMOS image sensors, having shipped more than 100 million devices for optical mice and PC cameras. The company is currently developing miniature camera modules to be embedded in wireless handsets. Agilent plans to use PDI's low-noise technology to enhance low-light imaging capability.
The transaction is expected to close by mid-February, subject to closing conditions. Financial details were not disclosed.
