Imec Introduces Snapscan: the First Hyperspectral Imaging Camera that Fuses the Benefits of Snapshot and Linescan technologies

SAN FRANCISCO (USA) – Jan. 31st, 2017 – At this week’s SPIE Photonics West in San Francisco, imec, the world-leading research and innovation hub in nano-electronics and digital technologies, will introduce the snapscan camera: a proprietary breakthrough system concept platform that combines a good signal to noise ratio with spatial and spectral resolution advantages of linescan hyperspectral imaging technology and the ability to acquire data-sets as easily as with a snapshot camera.

Based on the experience that was built up supporting different application types using both linescan and snapshot hyperspectral systems, imec has brought the best of its system-level hardware and software expertise together to create the snapscan camera concept. The snapscan exploits the high spectral and spatial resolution of imec’s hyperspectral linescan sensor, without the need for any external scanning movement: scanning is handled internally, using a miniaturized scanning stage. Full hyperspectral images can be acquired in a matter of a few seconds. 

Currently, the maximal RAW spatial resolution that is possible to reach is 3650 x 2048px (7Mpx), with a spectral resolution of 150+ spectral bands within the 470-900nm (visible to near-infrared, VNIR) wavelength range. Flat signal-to-noise ratios, as high as 200 over the full spectral range, have already been demonstrated thanks to software features that optimize the reconstruction and correction of hyperspectral data cubes.

“We believe our snapscan camera technology will significantly open up the market for hyperspectral imaging research and development, thanks to its incredible simplicity to create high quality datasets, essential for application validation and building spectral libraries” explains Jerome Baron, business development manager for imec’s integrated imaging and vision system teams. “We see many additional opportunities beyond the R&D market, especially in applications like digital microscopy for pathology and cytogenetics, medical imaging for endoscopy, wound diagnostics and guided surgery, as well as in precision agriculture for unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) robotics”. 

First snapscan hyperspectral imaging camera products will be demonstrated at SPIE Photonic West exhibition on booth#4333 North Hall of Moscone center in San-Francisco and will be commercially available as from April 2017. 

RGB true colors rendering from imec snapscan hyperspectral imaging software with plotted spectra’s and classified image of various pharmaceutical pill samples

About imec

Imec is the world-leading research and innovation hub in nano-electronics and digital technologies. The combination of our widely acclaimed leadership in microchip technology and profound software and ICT expertise is what makes us unique. By leveraging our world-class infrastructure and local and global ecosystem of partners across a multitude of industries, we create groundbreaking innovation in application domains such as healthcare, smart cities and mobility, logistics and manufacturing, and energy. 

As a trusted partner for companies, start-ups and universities we bring together close to 3,500 brilliant minds from over 70 nationalities. Imec is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and also has distributed R&D groups at a number of Flemish universities, in the Netherlands, Taiwan, USA, China, and offices in India and Japan. In 2015, imec's revenue (P&L) totaled 415 million euro and of iMinds which is integrated in imec as of September 21, 2016 52 million euro. Further information on imec can be found at www.imec-int.com 

Imec is a registered trademark for the activities of IMEC International (a legal entity set up under Belgian law as a "stichting van openbaar nut”), imec Belgium (IMEC vzw supported by the Flemish Government), imec the Netherlands (Stichting IMEC Nederland, part of Holst Centre which is supported by the Dutch Government), imec Taiwan (IMEC Taiwan Co.) and imec China (IMEC Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.) and imec India (Imec India Private Limited), imec Florida (IMEC USA nanoelectronics design center).

Contact :

Hanne Degans, Press officer and communications specialist, T: +32 16 28 17 69, Mobile : +32 486 06 51 75, Hanne.Degans@imec.be