Yole Updates CIS Market Report

Yole Developpement announces an updated image sensor market report and forecast. Few of the announced key points:

• Driven by handset and tablet applications, a 10% CAGR is forecast for the CMOS image sensor market from 2013 – 2018, reaching a value of almost US$13B by 2018.
• Big 3, Omnivision, Samsung and Sony, will continue to dominate thanks to advanced technologies, a large installed capacity and a cost-optimized manufacturing machine, while second-tier players must overcome economic and technical challenges to stay competitive.
• The strong move in the CIS markets from major player such as Sony’s pushes other companies to a fablight / fabless strategy. Indeed, this evolution has started already with companies like Aptina and STMicroelectronics. Besides a dramatic change in their business model, these players also move to higher end applications and out of the traditional mobile phone market.
• Three years after its introduction by Sony and Omnivision, BSI image sensors accounted for 27% of total CIS sales in 2012. BSI’s adoption is expected to reach more than 78% in 2018, bringing its total revenue to $10B.
• The current batch of breakthrough CMOS image sensor technologies aim to:
  - Diminish thickness (module level)
  - Improve image sensor performance (i.e. QE, sensitivity, resolution, reduced cross-talk, higher DR, multispectral imaging, faster processing, larger CRA, lower power consumption)
  - Permit new functions (i.e. post/fast focus, photon discrimination, 3D imaging, gesture recognition, increased processing power).

CIS Market Forecast