CSEM and QDI Systems Unveil Quantum Dot CMOS Image Sensor for Direct X-Ray and SWIR Imaging

Swiss innovation center CSEM, in collaboration with Dutch deep-tech startup QDI Systems, has developed the world’s first image sensor to directly convert X-rays into electronic signals using quantum dots (QDs) on a CMOS platform. This revolutionary approach enables compact, lowcost, and scalable wide-spectrum imaging—from X-rays through visible to short-wave infrared (SWIR)—with applications ranging from safer medical diagnostics to advanced industrial inspection and intelligent recycling.

Disrupting the imaging spectrum

The sensor leverages a spray-coated layer of quantum dots, nanoscale semiconductor crystals tuned to absorb different wavelengths, deposited directly onto standard CMOS chips—the same cost-efficient platform used in smartphones. This direct-conversion design eliminates the need for bulky scintillators, complex hybrid bonding, or expensive materials like InGaAs, unlocking a new class of lightweight and affordable sensors.

Key technical benefits include:

• Direct X-ray detection with high spatial resolution

• Sensitivity across 400–1300 nm, including visible, near-infrared, and SWIR

• Nearly 100% fill factor, preserving pixel density and power efficiency

Enabling safer healthcare, smarter industry

By combining quantum dot photoconversion with mass-producible CMOS technology, this sensor bridges performance and affordability in fields where advanced imaging has been cost-prohibitive:

• Healthcare: Portable X-ray devices and mammography systems with reduced radiation dose

• Industrial inspection: Non-destructive testing of aircraft components and machinery

• Agriculture & recycling: SWIR imaging for crop health monitoring and material sorting (e.g., plastics, fabrics, organics)

“This innovation is a step change for multispectral imaging,” said Nadim Maamari, Group Leader for Edge AI and Vision Systems at CSEM. “It’s a platform that breaks down cost and size barriers, bringing cutting-edge imaging to markets that couldn’t previously afford it.”

Born from aerospace innovation

The sensor was developed under the SWISSMODICS project, led by CSEM and funded by the EU’s Clean Sky 2 program, with additional support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation (SERI) under the SwissChips initiative. Originally designed for embedding into aircraft structures to detect internal damage without disassembly, the technology now offers wide-spectrum imaging benefits across multiple industries.
Additional information

CSEM Media Relations

Ms. Sabina MÜLLER

+41 79 361 50 12

[email protected]

About CSEM—Facing the challenges of our time

CSEM is a Swiss technology innovation center developing advanced technologies with a high societal impact, which it then transfers to industry to strengthen the economy. The non-profit orientated, public-private organization is internationally recognized, and works to support the disruptive activities of companies in Switzerland and abroad. CSEM operates in the domains of precision manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable energy. To accomplish its mission as gateway between research and economy, CSEM's 600 employees from 46 countries collaborate with leading universities, scientific institutions, research institutes, and industrial partners. With its six sites in Allschwil, Alpnach, Bern, Landquart, Neuchâtel and Zurich, CSEM is active all over Switzerland. www.csem.ch