This invention proposes a groundbreaking shift in Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) camera manufacturing by integrating all essential optical components—lenses, filters, and sensors—into a single CMOS chip using the same foundry process. Leveraging the existing back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) metal layers in standard CMOS processes, the technology repurposes these layers to serve as meta-lenses and plasmonic filters for color sorting. The CMOS camera innovation also promises enhanced performance in low-light conditions due to the efficient light capture of meta-lenses, opening new frontiers in photography and videography in challenging lighting environments. Background: This approach significantly reduces manufacturing complexity, alignment errors, material costs, and overall device footprint. The compact and cost-effective design has extensive applications, ranging from medical devices to autonomous vehicles and consumer electronics. Additionally, the integration of these optical components at the chip level can potentially lead to new advancements in miniaturized imaging systems, fostering the development of smaller, more powerful cameras for a wide array of technological applications. Applications:
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