Cypress Announces 2.3MP and 5.3MP Sensors with Large Pixels

Cypress announced two new sensors in VITA family: 2.3MP/92fps VITA 2000 and the 5.3MP/75fps VITA 5000 designed for machine vision, high-end security, 2D barcode and intelligent traffic applications.

The new sensors offer pipelined and triggered global shutter modes and a conventional rolling shutter mode, 10-bit ADCs, with either parallel outputs or serialized outputs up to 620 Mbps.

The VITA 2000 can provide output in two standard formats: HD (1920 x 1080), which is typically used in the security market; and 4:3 (1600 x 1200), popular in the machine vision market. The sensor array has a standard 2/3” optical format lens. It offers four LVDS channels.

The VITA 5000 has a standard 1” optical format with monochrome or color digital output and offers eight LVDS channels.

The new devices are manufactured by TowerJazz on its 0.18-micron CIS process. Cypress currently manufactures all of its image sensors with TowerJazz.

“The new VITA 2000 and VITA 5000 showcase our state of the art image sensor technology, where our process and device features such as low dark current, low noise and high dynamic range enable the high performance required by the end users of Cypress’s imaging products,” said Jonathan Gendler, director of CIS marketing at TowerJazz.

VITA2000

VITA5000

Thanks to D.S. for sending me the link!

Sony Announced Super 35mm-class HD Video Sensor

Sony has developed "Super 35mm equivalent" CMOS sensor for the professional Digital Cinema camcorder line. The "Super 35mm" array size is stated as 1.7-inch type, with diagonal of 27.1mm. The sensor is capable to deliver 1080p60 HD video and relies on column-parallel ADC architecture. Its pixel size is said to be 4 times bigger than that of DSLRs providing SNR of 63dB.

This is the first time Sony's digital cinema line uses CMOS image sensor. The previous generations relied on CCDs.

HDR Course at SPIE Electronic Imaging 2011

Arnaud Darmont, CEO of Aphesa, will be teaching 2-part High Dynamic Range imaging course at SPIE Electronic Imaging in January (part 1, part 2).

Kodak Announced 29MP W-RGB Interline Transfer CCD

Kodak announced KAI-29050 claimed to be the highest resolution CCD based on Interline Transfer technology. The 35mm optical format CCD is based on 5.5um pixels and features TRUESENSE W-RGB filter pattern to enhance low-light sensitivity.

This 35mm format CCD is the 7th in Kodak's family 5.5um pixel devices, a family that includes an entire set of image sensors from 1 to 29 megapixels. The KAI-29050 joins two other products - the 720p format KAI-01150 and the 1080p format KAI-02150 - as the first devices to use the KODAK TRUESENSE Color Filter Pattern. The TRUESENSE technology is claimed to provide a 2x to 4x increase in light sensitivity compared to a standard Bayer color sensor by adding panchromatic pixels to the standard RGB elements that form the image sensor array.

The KODAK KAI-29050 Image Sensor is sampling today in limited quantities, with production scheduled for mid-2011. The KODAK KAI-01050 and KAI-02050 Image Sensors are available today in PGA packages, with CLCC packages scheduled to be available Q1, 2011.

Thanks to M.D. for sending me the info!

KAI-29050 CCD

Update: The new KAI-29050 is also available in a regular Bayer and monochrome versions. Thanks to M.D. for the correction!

Update #2: Here is the color filter options table for the whole 5.5um pixel platform:

Purported Insider's Opinions on Image Sensor Companies

For those who believe in anonymous sources as a right information channel there is Glassdoor project collecting former and current employee opinions on their companies, and also job interview questions, salaries and such. Out of imaging companies, there are opinions on Aptina and Omnivision. Trust them or not.

CMOSIS and TowerJazz Announce 12MP/300fps Global Shutter Sensor

Business Wire: CMOSIS and TowerJazz announced 12MP CMV12000 featuring global shutter and a frame rate of 300 fps, said to be best in-class performance. The off-the-shelf image sensor is manufactured in TowerJazz’s Fab-2 in Migdal Haemek, Israel, using its advanced 0.18 µm specialty CIS process. The sensor features 5.5 x 5.5 µm pixels laid out in 4096 x 3072 matrix resembling the APS-C format.

CMV12000 offers a DR of 60 dB, extendable to 90 dB through several HDR operation modes. The sensor pixels have a very low parasitic light sensitivity (1:50,000) enabling high efficiency global shutter operation. One of the unique features of CMV12000 is the novel pixel structure, which combines pipelined global shutter operation with CDS. This technique yields an low noise level below 13 e- and a full well of 13,500 electrons. The global shutter CDS also significantly reduces the sensor's FPN.

CMV12000’s on-chip ADC can be operated at 8-bit, 10-bit or 12-bit resolution. In the faster 10-bit mode, 300 full frames per second are acquired. At 12-bit, CMV12000 still realizes a frame rate of 180 fps. The sensor's advanced architecture allows for row windowing and row sub-sampling. Up to 32 separate partial windows can be defined for an accelerated readout. Averaging several pixels raises these frame rates and increases the dynamic range.

“We highly value our partnership with TowerJazz and its advanced CMOS imaging technology for our innovative products due to the success we have achieved throughout our collaboration. Due to the maturity of their process technology, combined with the design flexibility that they offer, we are able to realize stronger and more reliable performance,” said Luc De Mey, CMOSIS CEO. “In addition, TowerJazz’s long-term investment in R&D and their excellent technical support keeps us at the cutting edge.”

“By combining our worldwide recognized leadership in CMOS sensors and pixel technology with CMOSIS’ many years of experience in CMOS image sensor design, we are equipped to meet the market’s demanding requirements for leading-edge performance, advanced features and reduced die size and price. Together, we are well-positioned to win a significant share of future industrial and professional CMOS image sensor markets,” said Avi Strum, VP and GM of TowerJazz’s Specialty Business Unit.

The new CMOS sensor is suited for a broad range of industrial, movie and TV, traffic monitoring and motion control applications. The Total Addressable Market for industrial sensors is estimated at $750M, out of which the machine vision sensor market is estimated at $200M, according to a report titled, “The Future of Image Sensors Market and Technology Forecasts to 2014,” by Roy Szweda.

Update: As written in comments, the sensor is based on 8T pixel to realize a high-quality fully pipelined global shutter with low parasitic light sensitivity. All 8 transistors together with two storage caps are squeezed into 5.5um FSI pixel in 0.18um process - the pixel layout must be a masterpiece!

There is a nice CMOSIS presentation describing the pixel operation and advantages, presented on Image Sensors Europe conference in March 2010. The 8T pixel operation principle is explained below:

Image Sensor Implant Restores Partial Sight

Electronics Weekly, BBC News: German firm Retina Implant reported testing results of the chip that has restored limited sight for people blinded by retinitis pigmentosa and similar diseases, destroying only the eye's photoreceptors, and leave its layers of image processing neurons intact.

The chip, which is 3mm across and 50µm thick, has a 70µm pitch 40x40 photodiode array, plus a corresponding electrode array. The implant can both receive images focused by the eye's existing optical system, and inject signals directly into the original neurons. The chip includes signal conditioning, and has to receive power provided along a cable that exits through the side of the eyeball and is led to an inductively coupled power receiver under the skin near the subjects ear. The microchip yields a visual field of about 12°, allowing mobility and object recognition in space.

Thanks to CDM for sending me this news!

Update: EETimes reports that Retina Implant AG has opened a manufacturing plant to meet anticipated demand for its devices. The new manufacturing plant is 312 sq.m and located in Technology Park, Tubingen-Reutlingen, Germany. Of this, about 100 sq.m is for a clean room, with the capability to increase its size to 250 sq.m. The manufacturing capacity is estimated to be 1,500 sub-retinal implants per year and Retina Implant is planning to invest another 1.3M euros to equip the building.

Retina Implant was founded in 2003 by Dr. Eberhart Zrenner and his colleagues in 2003, after extensive research with German university hospitals and institutes which began with a large grant from the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education in 1996. Retina Implant began implanting in human patients in 2005.

Although the vision that results is relatively low resolution it allows mobility and some object recognition in space according to the company. There is the possibility of improving the resolution of implants in the future.

Philips Photon Counter Reaches 8x8 Resolution

Philips announced a step forward in the development of its digital silicon photomultiplier technology by scaling it from a single-pixel sensor to a fully integrated 64-pixel sensor with a sensing surface of over 10 square centimeters and power consumption less than 1W.

“Our digital silicon photomultiplier technology is fully scalable and opens the door to new applications in areas such as medical imaging and nuclear physics,” says Rob Ballizany, vice president of Philips and general manager of Philips Digital Photon Counting. “With this new technology, we intend to bring the digital revolution to any application where ultra-low light levels need to be measured.”

Capable of counting single photons and detecting their arrival time with an accuracy of around 60 picoseconds, Philips’ digital silicon photomultiplier technology eliminates the power-consuming A/D circuitry associated with existing analog silicon photomultipliers.

Philips is looking for partners in selected applications to fully exploit the market potential of its new digital silicon photomultiplier technology.

e2v Chief Engineer Becomes Professor in Imaging Centre

e2v PR: David Burt, Chief Engineer at e2v becomes visiting Professor at The Open University to recognise his contribution towards the training and research activities at The Open University, specifically within the e2v Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI) based at the University’s Milton Keynes campus. The Centre, which was established in October 2008, is dedicated to the research and development of advanced technologies for scientific image sensors. One of the core goals of the CEI is also the training of PhD students in the development of detector technology and scientific applications using the technology to provide a source of highly qualified individuals into scientific, industrial and government disciplines.

SiOnyx Talks About Testing

Test and Measurement World published an interview with SiOnyx test engineer. Not much interesting stuff there, other than performing tests with a "monochrometer" and an unusual explanation of blooming:

"I use my background in physics and fiber optics to suggest tests to the designers. For example, I may recommend testing using both pulsed and continuous light. Using pulsed light lets you see how long a device takes to respond. This kind of testing is important for sensors, because of possible "blooming." That is, if the response is too slow, residual signal from a sensor's response will add to that of the next sample, producing an error."