Foveon

Foveon, Inc. is an American technology company best known for developing the Foveon X3 image sensor, a color imaging sensor that stacks three layers of silicon to capture red, green, and blue light. The X3 design differs from conventional Bayer sensors by recording full color information at every pixel location, reducing or eliminating the need for a separate color filter array and demosaicing.

The X3 sensor uses three optically identical silicon layers, each sensitive to a different region of the spectrum. As light penetrates the silicon, photons interact at different depths, allowing the sensor to directly produce red, green, and blue channels. This can yield high color fidelity and apparent sharpness, particularly in well-lit conditions. However, it also presents challenges: lower overall light sensitivity and dynamic range compared to many high-end Bayer sensors, higher processing requirements, and greater cost. These factors limited broad adoption.

The technology is best known for its use in Sigma Corporation’s line of DP-series cameras, such as the DP1, DP2, and later Merrill-equipped models, where the Foveon X3 sensor served as a defining feature. While praised for color rendering, the X3 approach competes with conventional CMOS sensors and has remained a niche choice in digital photography. Foveon’s sensor concept has contributed to discussions of color sampling and image reconstruction in the field.

See also: Foveon X3 image sensor.