Transchip Exposition on 3GSM World Congress

Sys-Con Media Reports: Transchip presents quite a few interesting innovations in its TC7040 camera phone module line:

AF solutions:

- Voice-coil technology, using a NanoFocus' HYSonic actuator that offers high reliability with a small footprint
- Electro-wetting technology using the Varioptics Arctic(TM) liquid lens, which can focus at extremely close distances, such as 4 centimeters, with no moving parts
- Piezo electric technology using the Johnson Electric's NanoLens(TM) highly accurate actuator, which provides fast convergence in less than one second
- Piezo electric technology using 1's low power Helimorph(TM) actuator
- Extended focus technology, enabling all parts of image to be in focus without moving the lens.

Zoom solution:

- 3x optical zoom feature, using Johnson Electric's NanoZoom(TM) lens module

This is a good example that smaller companies are often more agile than big juggernauts.

New 1.3MP SOC Sensor from Magnachip

Magnachip puts out a new sensor every second month or so. This time this is MC511DA 1.3MP SOC Sensor (PRnewswire). The pixel size is 2.8um - quite large for a camera-phone sensor these days.
Frame rate is 15fps full resolution and 30fps at VGA resolution. It uses dual supply analog 1.8V and 2.8V, probably to save power and reach 140mW consumption at full resolution full frame rate.
Samples are available now with mass production early Q2 2006.

Eric Fossum on Micron 2.2um Pixel Fill Factor

DPReview News Forum: Eric Fossum mentions that Micron 2.2um pixel has >35% fill factor.

In-Stat Report on Camera-Phones

Digitimes: Less than a third of camera phone owners surveyed by In-Stat indicated that they share picture messages with friends. Once people start using their new phones, they are turned off by perceived poor picture quality, slow network speeds, and the difficulty of creating and sending pictures.
There will be from 300-850 million mobile users that will send at least one image per month across the carrier network by 2010, according to the report. However, only one in 20 camera phone users prints pictures or stores them on carrier-provided websites, indicated the report. 28% of current camera phone owners actually share pictures using messaging service, compared with nearly 60% who hoped to before purchasing their camera phones, the report observed.
According to a November 2005 report by IDC, global camera phone shipments will climb from 270 million units in 2004 to nearly 766 million in 2009, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.2%. However, total mobile phone shipments worldwide are estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2004 to 2009, when the shipments will total 998 million units, the report pointed out.
Below is the forecast of camera-phone shipments, as compiled by Digitimes:

SMIC Starts Mass Production of VGA Sensors

Yahoo-Finance: From SMIC Q4 Report: SMIC starts volume production of 0.18um Color-VGA CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) wafers [2005-12-07].

First MIPI-Compliant Sensor Ever

Yahoo-Finance: Micron announced 2MP 1/4" sensor with MIPI interface (part name MT9D112).
"A one-quarter inch, 2-megapixel sensor design is the industry sweet spot," said Bob Gove, vice president of Micron Technology, Inc.'s imaging group.
The sensor that supports both a parallel interface as well as the MIPI serial interface (both CSI-2 and D-PHY). The pixel pitch is 2.2um.
The sensor contains an integrated microcontroller that achieves efficient image processing, global reset to avoid image tearing, and pixel binning for enhanced image viewing. The microcontroller also adjusts color and performs other image processing functions, including auto focus.
The speed of the sensor is 15fps in full resolution and 30fps in video mode.
General customer sampling is planned for April 2006, with mass production expected in August 2006.

Squiggle Optical Zoom Module

Photonics-Spectra: New Scale Technologies Inc. presented a new optical zoom module for mobile phone cameras at Photonics West 2006. It uses the company's piezoelectric Squiggle motor to achieve lens travel greater than 4 mm with better than 10 micrometer closed-loop repeatability (2.4 mm x 2.4 mm x 6.5 mm linear motor).
The Squiggle motor uses a threaded nut and screw to create precise linear movement in a very small space. Piezoelectric ceramics create ultrasonic vibrations in the nut, causing the screw to rotate and translate with high precision.

More Analysis of Sony and Fuji CCD Defects

NEAsia-Online has an excellent article on CCD defect timeline, reasons and consequences. Here is a picture from the article explaining the reliability estimation mistake:

Transchip Sensors Offer Color Sensitivity from 1 Lux.

ThomasNet: AlgoCam(TM) TC7040 2MP camera module features exceptional color sensitivity in low lighting conditions. The imager samples are currently available and TransChip will begin mass production in Q1, 2006.
"AlgoCam(TM) TC7040 offers a number of enhancements in lighting sensitivity, including lower dark current noise and lower cross talk. It also has increased sensitivity to blue hues, as well as new radial anti-shading."

ST Micro is the Biggest Camera-Phone Modules Supplier

Yahoo-Finance: According to the Prismark Partners LLC report on 2005 Camera Module Market, ST captured 16% market share and moved into first place among manufacturers of CMOS image-sensor modules for cellular phones.
ST is developing an extensive family of sensors using its latest 2.2. imaging technology.