Aptina Announces Clarity+ Technology

Business Wire: Aptina announces Clarity+ technology that departs from the traditional RGB color filter approach to achieve more than double camera sensitivity and dramatically increase color and detail in low lit scenes. Clarity+ technology is said to improve performance of 1.1um sensors to surpass today’s top 1.4um BSI pixel sensors. Further, leveraging Clarity+ technology with future generations of pixels, including 0.9um pixels, will power mobile phones to greater than 20-Megapixels.

Attempts to advance the standard Bayer pattern, which has been the standard since the 1970s, have not been successful until now. Aptina Clarity+ technology combines CFA, sensor design and algorithm developments and is fully compatible with today’s standard sub-sampling and defect correction algorithms, which means no visible imaging artifacts are introduced. While BSI technology innovation drove 1.4um pixel adoption, Clarity+ technology will drive 1.1um pixel adoption into the smartphone market. Additionally, this technology works seamlessly with 4th generation Aptina MobileHDR technology, increasing DR for both snapshot and video captures by as much as 24dB.

"Clarity+ technology enables a substantial improvement in picture clarity when capturing images with mobile cameras. While many others have introduced technologies that increase the sensitivity of cameras with clear pixel or other non-Bayer color patterns and processing, Aptina’s Clarity+ technology achieves a doubling of sensitivity, but uniquely without the introduction of annoying imaging artifacts," said Bob Gove, President and CTO at Aptina. "This optimized performance is enabled by innovations in the sensor and color filter array design, along with advancements in control and image processing algorithms. Our total system approach to innovation has led prominent OEMs to confirm that Clarity+ technology has clearly succeeded in producing a new level of performance for 1.1um pixel image sensors. We see Clarity+ technology playing a significant role in our future products, with initial products in the Smartphone markets."

Aptina will incorporate this innovative technology into a complete family of 1.1um and 1.4um based products addressing both front and rear facing applications. The AR1231CP 12MP, 1.1um mobile image sensor is the first sensor to support Clarity+ technology. This 1/3.2-inch BSI sensor 60fps at full resolution and supports 4K video at 30fps. The Aptina AR1231CP is now sampling.