Abstract: CMOS image sensors are generally customized and designed for specific functions and capabilities. Chip layout design and the development of fabrication schemes are very expensive. This high non-recurring engineering cost presents a significant barrier to the development of chips performing new processing schemes, for example specialty chips for small markets. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for simplified means of providing customized image sensors. Disclosed herein are novel stacked image sensors comprising an image sensor wafer stacked on one or more customizable processing wafers. The processing wafer comprises one or more reconfigurable components that can be programmed and customized to perform a very broad set of operations, providing the art with a means of obtaining a customizable image sensor without the substantial non-recurring engineering costs encountered using current technologies.

Abstract: A device can have an optical component having at least one alignment/attachment feature and a MEMS structure having a complimentary alignment/attachment feature for each alignment/attachment feature of the optical component. Each alignment/attachment feature of the optical component can mate with a corresponding alignment/attachment of the MEMS structure to align and/or attach the optical component to the MEMS structure. Thus, improved combinations of optical components and MEMS devices can be provided.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a layered printer driver model in which, at the “bottom layer,” a rendering component provides rendering functionality to format information constituting a print job initiated according to a page description language that a printer device is designed to process, and one or more other components that provide configuration and/or user experience functionality may “sit atop” the bottom layer. Any or all of these higher-level components may support not just a single printer device, but a class of printer devices defined by one or more shared characteristics.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a layered printer driver model in which, at the “bottom layer,” a rendering component provides rendering functionality to format information constituting a print job initiated according to a page description language that a printer device is designed to process, and one or more other components that provide configuration and/or user experience functionality may “sit atop” the bottom layer. Any or all of these higher-level components may support not just a single printer device, but a class of printer devices defined by one or more shared characteristics.