Digitimes reports that supplies of notebook components, including CMOS image sensors, are likely to suffer shortages as capacity is occupied by orders from the smartphone and tablet PC sectors, according to the newspaper's sources. Some notebook makers have been looking to source sensors from Samsung and SETi, the sources added.
Supplies from OmniVision have been unstable recently due to relatively low yield of its BSI process at TSMC, said the sources, noting that the yield is expected to improve substantially starting May. Acer and HP reportedly noticed the CIS supply problem at internal meetings in January, pushing HP to take supplies from SETi.
Thanks to EK for sending me the link!
Is omnivision having yield problems with its BSI-1 or BSI-2? I don't believe that BSI-2 was sampling even during the applicable timeframe so the yield problems must be with BSI-1. This is odd because Omnivision executives had said they were through the yield problems already. I guess what are yield problems for one person are acceptable yields for another. Either that, or the executives were fibbing.
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to think from a cost standpoint, considering yields, FSI may be better for pixel pitches of 1.4um and above, just for this reason. I agree with Aptina that light pipes and other technologies can be used to deal with sensitivity issues so you don't need to use BSI except for 1.1um and below.
All this talk about Omnivision being a year or two in front of the competition on BSI seems to be inconsistent with the low yield problems.
There is no obstacle to resolve this yield problem. The market force is huge just as stated by Eric Fossum so many years ago. Market pulls and if you don't jump into the more advanced technology you will die soon or later in such huge market. So this is just a transient noise and the improvements on the old technology will not win at the end.
ReplyDeleteI like this blog very much but many of the reports quoted here including this one are totally erronius and individuals jump on them to promote personal biases.
ReplyDeleteThis post is merely a quotation of Digitimes article. If wrong, blame Digitimes with its sources for that.
ReplyDeletemost of the comments are under anonymous, I can not see how these guys can do self promotion? This blog is a rare open space rich in information, all the decent opinions should be welcome.
ReplyDeletebuy an iphone 4, and you will get significant color shading caused by the crosstalk...
ReplyDeleteOVT already loses the NB market because of the poisoned apple
Perhaps a cause of iPhone 4 shortages? Maybe not just capacity issues?
ReplyDeletePerhaps the reason for apple 2nd sourcing next generation sensors?
Just take the same picture with the different generation of iphones and you will see the results. (From a different technology point ov view, dont' want to comment about the supplier).
ReplyDelete