Review and Outlook
Ultra High Speed Digital Imaging

Three types of image sensors enable high frame rates in digital imaging: CCD sensors, CMOS sensors, and hybrid sensors (in-situ storage CCDs and uCMOS). While CCD sensors are limited to a few hundred frames per second (fps) at full resolution, CMOS sensors can reach 25,000 fps for megapixel resolution and approach one million frames per second at reduced resolution. These sensors are generally equipped with large onboard memory (ranging from tens to hundreds of gigabytes). To achieve several million frames per second at full resolution, hybrid sensors have been developed, but the available storage memory is limited to a few hundred images, physically located near the sensitive area where the image is formed.

Spectrally, high-speed color imaging is primarily achieved by placing an array of color filters (red, green, blue) over conventional structures. Three "black-and-white"...