Agilent Technologies Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., has purchased the intellectual property and certain other assets of CMOS imaging technology developer Pixel Devices International Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. Pixel Devices has focused on image sensors that have "active reset" technology, which it says can reduce noise by one or two orders of magnitude compared with traditional systems, enabling low-light imaging for embedded cell phone cameras or high-speed industrial and biomedical camera applications. Agilent, which is developing miniature camera modules for wireless handsets, intends to use the low-noise technology to enhance its low-light imaging capability.

Key Pixel Device employees have joined Agilent's Semiconductor Products Group in San Jose, Calif.