© 2013 Thorlabs GmbH24
DCx Cameras
greater photo sensitivity of the sensor.
2.3.2 Micro Lenses
Micro lenses improve the fill factor
The fill factor is the percentage of the pixel area that is exposed to light during exposure. Ideally this would be
100 %. Since other elements are located on the sensor surface besides the light-sensitive photodiodes, this value
may be reduced to approx. 30–50 %, depending on the sensor technology. The use of micro lenses compensates
for this and increases the fill factor to 90 % or more. Micro lenses collect the light that falls onto a photocell, thus
increasing the useable sensor area.
Using micro lenses to increase the effective fill factor
CMOS pixel design with Bayer filter (red) and micro lens