eyeo’s €40M bet on nanophotonic camera sensor innovation
eyeo has secured €40 million in Series A funding to scale its nanophotonic imaging technology, bringing its total capital raised to €55 million. The company is commercialising research from imec and targeting a long-standing bottleneck in image sensor design: conventional colour filters that waste much of the incoming light. By replacing these filters with a nanophotonic colour-splitting platform, eyeo aims to deliver a step-change in camera sensor innovation for smartphones, industrial systems, XR devices and smart infrastructure. The new funding, led by Innovation Industries with support from existing backers such as imec.xpand, Invest-NL, Qbic and others, will support eyeo’s transition from lab validation to large-scale commercial deployment. CEO Jeroen Hoet says the technology has already been validated at commercial foundries and is being evaluated by tier one customers, positioning the company to influence next-generation imaging roadmaps.
How nanophotonic imaging technology boosts light sensitivity and colour fidelity
eyeo’s NCOS nanophotonic imaging technology tackles light sensitivity improvement at the optical front end. Instead of using traditional colour filters that block and discard a large portion of photons, the platform splits and directs incident light towards the appropriate pixels. This colour-splitting approach captures virtually all incoming light and routes it efficiently, enabling cameras to perform far better in low-light environments while maintaining or even enhancing colour accuracy and resolution. Because NCOS is compatible with existing CMOS sensor platforms, it can be integrated into current manufacturing flows without a complete redesign of sensor architectures. The result is a combination of improved dynamic range, richer colour reproduction and finer detail, achieved without resorting solely to software-driven computational photography. For device makers, this offers a hardware-level leap in image quality that can complement, rather than replace, existing image processing pipelines.
Enabling compact camera sensors with sub-micron pixels
Beyond light efficiency, nanophotonic imaging technology provides a path to more compact camera sensors. eyeo’s approach enables ultra-compact, sub-micron pixels that maintain high image quality, addressing a key challenge as devices become thinner and more feature-dense. Traditional pixel scaling often trades sensitivity and colour fidelity for size; by directing photons more precisely to the correct pixel, NCOS mitigates these losses. This translates into compact camera sensors that can deliver flagship-level performance in smaller modules, freeing industrial designers to reduce camera bumps in smartphones or integrate high-performance sensors into constrained spaces in XR headsets and embedded systems. Because the technology is based on CMOS-compatible processes, it can be layered into existing sensor designs and supports future 3D-stacked CMOS architectures, creating a scalable route to higher resolutions without proportionally larger optics or housings.
From smartphones to smart cities: a broad application landscape
The versatility of eyeo’s nanophotonic imaging technology is central to its commercial promise. In smartphones, higher light sensitivity and compact camera sensors could improve night photography, video and HDR capture without increasing module thickness. XR devices stand to benefit from smaller, lighter imaging systems that still deliver accurate colour and high resolution, improving pass-through and mixed reality experiences. In industrial and autonomous systems, where reliable imaging under variable lighting is critical, the ability to capture more photons directly translates into better detection, inspection and navigation. Smart city infrastructure, including surveillance and traffic monitoring, could gain more robust low-light performance without resorting to larger, more power-hungry cameras. By offering a single optical platform that scales across these domains, eyeo positions nanophotonic imaging as a horizontal technology layer for future visual sensing networks.
Scaling from lab to market with 3D-stacked CMOS sensors
With the new funding, eyeo is shifting from proof-of-concept to broad deployment. The company plans to expand its in-house engineering teams, deepen collaborations with OEM and sensor manufacturers, and accelerate qualification of its technology at commercial foundries. A key focus is the development of next-generation 3D-stacked CMOS image sensors that combine nanophotonic colour splitting with advanced pixel and logic layers. This stack enables more complex on-sensor processing, higher resolutions and improved dynamic range in the same or smaller footprints. Strengthening its IC design and system architecture capabilities will help eyeo tailor NCOS-based solutions for different markets, from compact mobile modules to specialised industrial cameras. If successful, this transition could mark a foundational shift in how camera sensors are designed, moving nanophotonics from a niche research topic into a mainstream driver of image quality and device form factor.