This article takes a look at eyeo’s €40 million Series A funding and how it’s set to ramp up development of their Nanophotonic Color Splitting (NCOS) technology for sensors/”>image sensors. With thirty years in photonics and imaging, I’m going to break down what NCOS is, why it matters, and what this funding could mean for eyeo’s next steps.
What is Nanophotonic Color Splitting (NCOS)?
NCOS is eyeo’s way of color/”>splitting light by wavelength and steering each color to the right pixel, but without using those old-school color filters. Traditional Bayer or RGB filter stacks waste a ton of photons—NCOS flips that idea on its head.
By using nanostructures to guide photons, NCOS tries to cut down on photon loss and boost how well image sensors work, especially in low light and with color accuracy. The main goal? Get as much out of every photon as possible, instead of tossing light away with filters.
How NCOS alters sensor design
Eyeo designed NCOS to work with the CMOS image sensor manufacturing processes we already have. That means fabs don’t need to start from scratch or buy all-new gear.
This approach could let NCOS slot into new sensor platforms—think smaller, more efficient designs that fit into everything from consumer gadgets to industrial gear.
Commercial potential and applications
Eyeo sees NCOS as a deep-tech breakthrough with reach across a bunch of markets: smartphones, automotive cameras, medical imaging, industrial inspection, AR/VR, and even smart-city sensors. The real promise? Better sensitivity, truer colors, and sharper images, especially when lighting isn’t ideal.
Analysts and OEMs are pretty interested in NCOS as a way to get better sensors without having to totally overhaul their factories. For manufacturers chasing performance but wanting to stick with CMOS, that’s a big deal.
Industries that could benefit most
Consumer electronics (phones, tablets, wearables) always need better low-light shots and color accuracy.
Automotive and mobility need cameras that work in everything from bright sun to rain and glare.
Medical imaging and industrial inspection really benefit from precise color and high sensitivity—think sharper diagnostics or better quality checks.
AR/VR and smart-city sensors want small, efficient cameras that don’t quit when things get tricky.
Funding, partnerships, and company trajectory
Eyeo just closed a €40 million Series A, bringing their total funding to €55 million. Innovation Industries led the round, with imec.xpand, Invest-NL, QBIC, High-Tech Gründerfonds, and the Brabant Development Agency also backing them. That kind of support means investors see NCOS as something that can scale and actually get to market soon.
Eyeo spun out of imec and is based at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven, plus they’ve got plans and space in Antwerp, Belgium. The new funds are set to speed up commercialization, ramp up engineering and chip-design teams, and push forward on advanced sensor architectures.
Validation and partner ecosystem
Eyeo’s working with manufacturing partners and OEMs, and they’re already talking to tier-one customers. They’ve also validated NCOS at a commercial foundry, which is a pretty strong signal. Some industry folks are calling NCOS a deep-tech leap for imaging, with ripple effects across lots of fields.
Manufacturing readiness and roadmap
NCOS is built to plug right into existing CMOS fabs, so foundries and device makers don’t have to jump through hoops to get started. That lowers the cost and speeds up how fast NCOS-powered devices could hit the market.
Eyeo’s leadership is aiming for next-gen 3D-stacked CMOS sensors and other high-performance designs. They plan to grow the engineering and chip-design side to support more products and tighter work with their manufacturing partners and OEMs.
What’s next for eyeo
In the near term, eyeo wants to consolidate commercial validation and scale up its production collaborations. The team is also looking to expand their global footprint, which feels ambitious but not out of reach.
The company estimates the imaging market at around $30 billion. That’s a massive addressable opportunity for NCOS in consumer, automotive, and enterprise segments.
Here is the source article for this story: Eyeo Secures €40 Million for Color-Splitting Sensor