Specially Appointed Professor Nobukazu Teranishi won Emmy® Awards －Invented the embedded photodiode and contributed to the spread of image sensors－

Specially Appointed Professor Nobukazu Teranishi, Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University, won the 74th Annual Technology and Engineering Emmy® Awards sponsored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). ” was awarded together with NEC Corporation (NEC), where I used to work.

The Emmy® Awards is the most prestigious international award that recognizes the significant performance of the broadcasting industry. The Emmy Award for Technology and Engineering is awarded to individuals, companies, and organizations who have contributed to significant improvements in television technology and the development and standardization of innovative technologies. So far, Professor Shuji Nakamura who invented the blue light-emitting diode and others have received this award.

The reason for winning the award is to invent and develop the pinned photodiode that is used in most image sensors. The pinned photodiode is a technology that dramatically improves the performance of both CCD and Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors (used in smart phones as well) and has greatly contributed to the spread of image sensors. The pinned photodiode is now used in almost all of CCD and CMOS image sensors produced worldwide, and therefore it is an essential technology. CMOS image sensors are expected to be used not only for smart phones, but also for industrial use, such as distance measurement, and for medical use, such as cell observation.

The award ceremony is scheduled on April 16, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A., during the broadcast-related exhibition, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show/conference.