After more than half year with no image sensor news, May 2010 Hynix newsletter announces Hi-704, new 1/10-inch VGA sensor packaged in Tessera ShellUT CSP. The sensor uses 2.25um pixels and features single 2.8V supply and 30fps speed at its full VGA resolution. Samples were available in March 2010, mass production has started in May 2010.
The new sensor appears to be a single-supply and a different package version of another VGA sensor announced in October 2010.
So far, Hynix portfolio appears to be skewed towards low-end sensors. With going prices of 35-40 cents per VGA die, I wonder where Hynix is aiming? Is competing with Galaxycore, SETi and low-end Omnivision sensors where Hynix sees its future?
fortune at the bottom of the pyramid.
ReplyDeletetoys and games - entry-level mobile - entry-level imaging systems - entry-level surrounding detection systems.... big market... vga are not dying... they need to be produced and they need to be cheap.
My question is if Hynix can become a first tier player while staying "at the bottom of the pyramid"? And is Hynix with its scale and power in the memory really interested in this low margin segment?
ReplyDeletesemiconductor industry is foundamentally a mass production oriented industry. you need volume to recover all the investments.
ReplyDeleteI will be surprised if Hynix can make their VGA die cheaper than, say, Galaxycore.
ReplyDeletethe operation cost of a chinese company in this field is not necessarily lower.
ReplyDeleteSeems that Hynix is not eager to be a first tier player. Maybe it is good enough for them to be a player and find some usadge for some of it capacity ? I find it strange as with such activity I do not believe the CIS business will creat a real impact on the overall Hynix business ...
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