ProMOS Sets Up Image Sensor Entity, Possibly with Cypress

Digitimes: ProMOS Technologies announced that it will establish a design company focused on CMOS image sensors. Since the memory maker said it is open to investments from other vendors, industry players have been speculating that potential investment may come from Cypress Semiconductor.

According to ProMOS, it plans to start the new business with US$10 million in capital, and ProMOS will hold 100% of the new entity. Saying that the market is big enough for handset-use high-resolution CMOS image sensors, company executives also mentioned that ProMOS will partner with US-based IDM on related developments. Based on this, market sources again associated the establishment of the new company with Cypress.

In response, ProMOS noted that the company and its partner are already involved in production process development. According to ProMOS, it has not yet determined where to manufacture CMOS image sensors for the new design house, adding that first-phase production will start at Taiwan fabs.

EETimes has another version of the same story. It tells that ProMOS Technologies is getting into the CMOS image sensor business, investing $10 million in a Silicon Valley start-up that will initially target low-density sensors for mobile phones.

Like Micron Technology, ProMOS is looking to leverage its older DRAM production facilities to make the sensors, which will likely be in the 1.3 megapixel range. The first products will probably roll out in 2008, but few other details were available, including the name of the company.