Technical Paper on Pixel Sub-Stepping

PI (Auburn, MA) has published a paper on image resolution enhancement and image stabilization for electronic imaging sensors based on fast piezo actuation. The paper explains different piezoelectric motion principles such as flexure mechanisms and ultrasonic motors. Traditionally, increasing the resolution of common imaging detectors has required an increase of chip size or reduction of pixel size, both of which are undesirable options. With pixel sub-stepping, the recording area is moved on predefined paths with a defined frequency. The”dithering,” where the travel is less than the size of a pixel, causes the pixel to be exposed several times on the recording area, producing a virtual “pixel multiplier” that can significantly improve the resolution without negative side effects.