In February 2026, the Benelux IEEE Life Member Affinity Group enjoyed an inspiring visit to Caeleste in Mechelen, Belgium — a global pioneer in custom CMOS image sensors.
Hosted by founder and CTO Dr. Bart Dierickx, who launched the company from his attic in 2006, members learned how Caeleste has grown into a team of over 50 engineers delivering turnkey, beyond-state-of-the-art sensors for scientific, medical, and industrial applications worldwide
Dr. Dierickx’s engaging presentation covered the physics of image sensors and showcased remarkable world-first achievements: the first photo of a virus’s atomic structure at 1.85 Å resolution, color X-ray mammography sensors, sub-0.2 electron read-noise pixels, and sensors flown on ESA/NASA missions including Rosetta and HERA. Notably, Caeleste focuses exclusively on peaceful applications—no military projects.
The afternoon continued with a guided tour of the Class 100 cleanroom, design studios, and test laboratories, where members observed the end-to-end process from concept to characterization. Participants appreciated the hands-on insight into radiation-hard and cryogenic sensor design, photon-counting X-ray detectors, and hyperspectral imaging solutions.
