How eyeo’s Nanophotonic Color‑Splitting Sensors Could Transform Camera Performance

This limitation affects everything from smartphone cameras to industrial imaging systems. Engineers have tried to compensate with larger sensors, improved lenses, and increasingly complex computational photography—but the basic optical loss remains.

How NCOS® color‑splitting technology works

eyeo’s approach replaces absorptive color filters with nanophotonic structures that split incoming light into its constituent wavelengths and route each color to the correct pixel. Instead of discarding photons, the system redistributes them across the sensor.

The result is a more efficient use of available light. According to company reports and industry coverage, the technology can deliver up to three times higher light sensitivity compared with conventional filter‑based sensors.

Higher photon efficiency can translate into several practical benefits depending on the final camera design:

• Stronger performance in low‑light conditions
• Improved signal quality and dynamic range
• Smaller pixel sizes without sacrificing sensitivity
• Lower power consumption for camera modules

Because the change occurs at the hardware level of the sensor, it can benefit both cameras designed for human viewing and machine‑vision systems that depend on reliable image data in difficult lighting conditions.

Where the technology could be used

eyeo is targeting a wide range of imaging markets where improved light efficiency can unlock new capabilities.

Smartphones

Mobile photography is heavily constrained by small sensors and compact optics. Higher light sensitivity could improve low‑light photography, reduce reliance on computational processing, or enable thinner camera modules.

Industrial imaging and machine vision

Factory automation, robotics, and inspection systems often operate in environments where lighting is limited or variable. More sensitive sensors can improve detection accuracy and imaging speed for industrial cameras.

XR and wearable devices

Augmented and mixed‑reality devices rely on cameras for spatial mapping, gesture recognition, and eye tracking. More efficient sensors could support smaller, lower‑power camera systems, which is critical for wearable hardware.

Smart‑city infrastructure

Urban sensing systems—including traffic monitoring, infrastructure inspection, and public‑safety cameras—must operate reliably across day and night conditions. Improved sensitivity could enhance these imaging networks without increasing energy consumption.

Autonomous machines

Robots, drones, and other autonomous devices depend on visual perception to navigate and understand their surroundings. Higher‑efficiency sensors can improve computer‑vision performance under low light while staying within tight power budgets.

What the €40 million Series A will fund

The company’s latest funding round was led by Innovation Industries, with participation from existing investors including imec.xpand, Invest‑NL Deep Tech Fund, QBIC, High‑Tech Gründerfonds, and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM).

The capital is intended to push NCOS® from promising technology to commercially deployable hardware. Key priorities include:

• Scaling the technology toward volume production of image sensors
• Expanding in‑house chip design and engineering teams
• Developing next‑generation 3D‑stacked CMOS image sensors that integrate the nanophotonic color‑splitting layer with advanced semiconductor architectures

This stage is critical. Many imaging innovations demonstrate impressive results in research prototypes but struggle with manufacturing yields, cost, and integration into standard semiconductor fabrication processes.

Why the imaging industry is watching

If eyeo’s technology can scale successfully, it would address a long‑standing inefficiency in digital imaging—one that has shaped camera design for roughly half a century. Some industry coverage describes the architecture as a potential hardware‑level alternative to the color‑filter model that dominates CMOS sensors today.

The physics behind nanophotonic color splitting has been studied for years, but commercial adoption depends on factors beyond optics: manufacturability, compatibility with foundry processes, and whether performance improvements hold up in mass‑produced devices.

If those hurdles are cleared, sensors that capture far more of the available light could influence everything from smartphone photography to machine vision and autonomous systems.