EETimes reports from Tomoyuki Suzuki, Sony VP pleanary talk at ISSCC 2010 that future sensors are proposed to be bent into a spherical shape, enabling it to capture wide-angle images like an eyeball. The performance targets of such future device include 4K x 2K video capture, less than 0.1 Lux video capture and 1,000 frames per second.
Another private report from ISSCC that I received talks about very impressive spec of the new Sony 10.3MP BSI sensor featuring in a number of recently announced cameras:
Resolution: 10.3MP
Pixel size: 1.65u BSI
Sensitivity: 9890 e/Lux*s @ 3200K, 650nm IR cut-off filter, F2.8
Full Well Capacity: 9130e (linear)
Conversion Gain: 75uV/e
Random Noise: 1.7e RMS with 16x analog gain
Dynamic Range: 71dB
Dark Current: 3e/s @ 60C degrees
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Monday, February 08, 2010
First ISSCC Report by Albert Theuwissen
Albert Theuwissen published his first report from ISSCC 2010. The report mainly talks about Jean-Luc Jaffard of ST Micro presentation on TSV and WLC progress, predicting that in few years we'll see wafer-level auto-focus implemented.
Omnivision Announces 1.1um BSI Pixel
OmniVision announced the introduction of the world's first 1.1-um BSI pixel, OmniBSI-2. Proclaimed OmniVision's second-generation BSI technology, the is pixel is built on a 300-mm copper process at 65 nm design rules developed in cooperation with TSMC.
An exact quote from the PR: "By combining custom 65 nm design rules and new manufacturing process modules, the 1.1-micron OmniBSI-2 pixel achieves industry-leading low-light sensitivity as well as significantly reduced dark current and full-well capacity."
[Update: The newer versions of the PR fixed the typo and now talk about "improved", rather than "reduced" full well.]
OmniBSI-2 pixel design features layout, better isolation, and significantly reduced crosstalk over the first generation OmniBSI technology. OmniBSI-2 technology can also be applied to larger pixel designs to achieve performance advantages over current BSI and FSI image sensors.
"By comparison, the new 1.1-micron OmniBSI-2 pixel not only outperforms our current 1.75-micron FSI architecture, but it also equals the performance of our industry-leading 1.4-micron BSI pixel that is currently in mass production," commented Dr. Howard Rhodes, vice president of process engineering at OmniVision. "Migrating to 1.1-micron BSI pixel architecture required moving production to TSMC's state-of-the-art 300-mm copper process, which enabled substantially improved design rules and more advanced process tools, resulting in tighter process control and improved defect density. Key to our success was the joint development by the OmniVision and TSMC R&D teams of multiple new process modules that substantially improved opto-electronic performance. We also leveraged our close partnership with joint venture partner VisEra Technologies to establish a 300-mm color filter fabrication capability."
OmniVision's OmniBSI-2 technology will be demonstrated to customers by appointment at the Mobile World Congress, February 15 through 18, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. No word is said about products to be demonstrated or their status (prototype, CS, ES, production, etc).
As Omnivision web site shows, the main difference between OminBSI and OmniBSI-2 are increased light sensitivity, better full well and higher QE:
An exact quote from the PR: "By combining custom 65 nm design rules and new manufacturing process modules, the 1.1-micron OmniBSI-2 pixel achieves industry-leading low-light sensitivity as well as significantly reduced dark current and full-well capacity."
[Update: The newer versions of the PR fixed the typo and now talk about "improved", rather than "reduced" full well.]
OmniBSI-2 pixel design features layout, better isolation, and significantly reduced crosstalk over the first generation OmniBSI technology. OmniBSI-2 technology can also be applied to larger pixel designs to achieve performance advantages over current BSI and FSI image sensors.
"By comparison, the new 1.1-micron OmniBSI-2 pixel not only outperforms our current 1.75-micron FSI architecture, but it also equals the performance of our industry-leading 1.4-micron BSI pixel that is currently in mass production," commented Dr. Howard Rhodes, vice president of process engineering at OmniVision. "Migrating to 1.1-micron BSI pixel architecture required moving production to TSMC's state-of-the-art 300-mm copper process, which enabled substantially improved design rules and more advanced process tools, resulting in tighter process control and improved defect density. Key to our success was the joint development by the OmniVision and TSMC R&D teams of multiple new process modules that substantially improved opto-electronic performance. We also leveraged our close partnership with joint venture partner VisEra Technologies to establish a 300-mm color filter fabrication capability."
OmniVision's OmniBSI-2 technology will be demonstrated to customers by appointment at the Mobile World Congress, February 15 through 18, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. No word is said about products to be demonstrated or their status (prototype, CS, ES, production, etc).
As Omnivision web site shows, the main difference between OminBSI and OmniBSI-2 are increased light sensitivity, better full well and higher QE:
Tessera EDoF and UFL in Samsung 2MP Sensor
Business Wire: Tessera announced that Samsung has integrated Tessera’s EDOF capabilities and UFL solution into its new 2.0MP HD (1080p) image sensor for notebook computer cameras and other applications. The UFL solution is said to improve low-light performance by increasing the amount of available light as much as 250 percent, without degrading the field depth or other performance factors.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
(Almost) Real Time ISSCC Reports by Abert Theuwissen
With ISSCC 2010 starting off today, Albert Theuwissen plans to publish his instant impressions in the Harvest Imaging blog. I'm sure it's going to be very interesting series, stay tuned!
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Samsung, Omnivision, Aptina Expand Image Sensor Production
Digitimes' sources report that Samsung plans to add one more 8-inch fab for image sensor production in 2010 to satisfy increasing market demand. So far the company has two 8-inch and one 12-inch fabs manufacturing CIS products in South Korea.
Samsung already increased monthly capacity by 12,000-20,000 wafers to its two existing 8-inch fabs, which produced 40,000-45,000 wafers per month originally, in the second half of 2009. The new 8-inch fab will have about 20,000 wafers monthly capacity and can go up to 90nm processes, compared to 0.11-micron processes at the older two 8-inch fabs. The 12-inch fab's monthly capacity is 20,000-25,000 wafers.
Digitimes' sources think Samsung's recent capacity expansions are related to increased orders from HTC and strong netbook sales in China.
OmniVision too has increased its wafer starts at TSMC. Aptina has also expanded capacity at its 8-inch fab in Italy and will speed up CIS production at another 8-inch fab in Japan in 2010, according to Digitimes's sources.
Samsung already increased monthly capacity by 12,000-20,000 wafers to its two existing 8-inch fabs, which produced 40,000-45,000 wafers per month originally, in the second half of 2009. The new 8-inch fab will have about 20,000 wafers monthly capacity and can go up to 90nm processes, compared to 0.11-micron processes at the older two 8-inch fabs. The 12-inch fab's monthly capacity is 20,000-25,000 wafers.
Digitimes' sources think Samsung's recent capacity expansions are related to increased orders from HTC and strong netbook sales in China.
OmniVision too has increased its wafer starts at TSMC. Aptina has also expanded capacity at its 8-inch fab in Italy and will speed up CIS production at another 8-inch fab in Japan in 2010, according to Digitimes's sources.
LensVector Features in Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal published an article about LensVector technology and history. The company, founded in 2006, has raised $53 million from venture capitalists and the investment arms of Samsung Electronics Co. and Eastman Kodak Co. It is expected to announce a $30 million funding round Thursday, and discuss its plans publicly for the first time.
Only 16% of camera-phones sold in 2009 have AF, according to iSuppli. TSR estimates the current cost of components and labor to add autofocus at around $3.50 to $4 per phone. LensVector CEO Derek Proudian plans his products to start at about the same price and get more cost-competitive as the company boosts production.
LensVector expects to eventually be able to churn out 60 million lenses a year from production lines in Silicon Valley, turning to external manufacturing partners later if needed. "It's not official yet, but I think there's a good chance we will see it this year" in Samsung cellphones, said Brian Kang, managing director of Samsung's venture-capital arm.
LensVector's technology is silent and works well with videocameras and could be used in computers and other devices beyond phones. The article also quotes Aptina as "familiar with LensVector's technology".
Update: Business Wire published LensVector's official PR. The company announced it has closed $30 million in a Series C financing round, bringing the total financial backing of the company to more than $50 million. Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) led the new funding and joins existing investors Menlo Ventures, Samsung, Silicon Valley Bank, Mitsui and Kodak. LensVector plans to use the financing to expand manufacturing capacity.
Update #2: LensVector web site comes to life. The pictures below explain what the company has designed (click to expand):
Only 16% of camera-phones sold in 2009 have AF, according to iSuppli. TSR estimates the current cost of components and labor to add autofocus at around $3.50 to $4 per phone. LensVector CEO Derek Proudian plans his products to start at about the same price and get more cost-competitive as the company boosts production.
LensVector expects to eventually be able to churn out 60 million lenses a year from production lines in Silicon Valley, turning to external manufacturing partners later if needed. "It's not official yet, but I think there's a good chance we will see it this year" in Samsung cellphones, said Brian Kang, managing director of Samsung's venture-capital arm.
LensVector's technology is silent and works well with videocameras and could be used in computers and other devices beyond phones. The article also quotes Aptina as "familiar with LensVector's technology".
Update: Business Wire published LensVector's official PR. The company announced it has closed $30 million in a Series C financing round, bringing the total financial backing of the company to more than $50 million. Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) led the new funding and joins existing investors Menlo Ventures, Samsung, Silicon Valley Bank, Mitsui and Kodak. LensVector plans to use the financing to expand manufacturing capacity.
Update #2: LensVector web site comes to life. The pictures below explain what the company has designed (click to expand):
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Nikon and Ricoh Announce BSI Sensor-Equipped Cameras
Imaging Resource: Nikon announced P100 camera equipped with 10.3MP (eff.) 1/2.3-inch BSI sensor with a plenty of high-speed based features, including 1080p movie mode. This is the first time when Nikon uses CMOS sensor in a compact camera - all its previous models relied on CCDs.
Hexus: Ricoh released CX3 camera with BSI sensor, incidentally also with 10.3MP in 1/2.3-inch format. The CX3 camera too has many high-speed features.
Hexus: Ricoh released CX3 camera with BSI sensor, incidentally also with 10.3MP in 1/2.3-inch format. The CX3 camera too has many high-speed features.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
TowerJazz and Soitec Collaborate on BSI Sensors
EETimes, Business Wire: TowerJazz and Soitec announced they will jointly develop a solution for SOI-based high-end BSI CMOS image sensors aimed at industrial, medical and automotive applications. Yole Developpement principal analyst Jerome Baron expects the high-end BSI image sensor market to reach $120M by 2013, while the total BSI sensor market is to reach $800M at the same time frame.
The BSI foundry solution is said to enable a rapid ramp by TowerJazz customers. TowerJazz said it will integrate SOI substrates and Soitec's Smart Stacking circuit layer transfer technology, customized for the TowerJazz fabrication process.
Soitec claimed that its Smart Stacking technology aims chip manufacturers to leverage wafer-to-wafer level stacking through low-stress bonding and high-precision thinning of partially or fully processed circuits. Smart Stacking was developed originally at Tracit Technologies SA, which Soitec acquired in July 2006. Tracit (Grenoble, France) was itself a spin-off from CEA-Leti.
The BSI foundry solution is said to enable a rapid ramp by TowerJazz customers. TowerJazz said it will integrate SOI substrates and Soitec's Smart Stacking circuit layer transfer technology, customized for the TowerJazz fabrication process.
Soitec claimed that its Smart Stacking technology aims chip manufacturers to leverage wafer-to-wafer level stacking through low-stress bonding and high-precision thinning of partially or fully processed circuits. Smart Stacking was developed originally at Tracit Technologies SA, which Soitec acquired in July 2006. Tracit (Grenoble, France) was itself a spin-off from CEA-Leti.
More BSI Products Arrive to Market
Aegis: Toshiba-Teli launched CSDS60CM3 and CSDW60CM28, the BSI sensor-equipped HD color cameras targeted to factory automation, quality control, robotics and the life sciences. 1/3-inch format CSDS60CM3 provides 1280 x 1024 resolution, while 1/2.8-inch CSDW60CM28 resolution is 1920 x 1080, both at 60fps progressive speed.
The BSI sensor pixel size is 2.5um for CSDW60CM28 and 3.63um for CSDS60CM3 cameras. It would be interesting to learn who makes these relatively large pixel BSI sensors.
Meanwhile Fujifilm announced its first BSI sensor-based camera. The new HS10 camera uses 1/2.3-inch 10.3MP (eff.) sensor (Imaging Resource). It appears to be similar to the sensors used in recent Sony, Casio, Samsung and JVC BSI cameras.
The HS10 fast sensor enables few interesting features in the camera processing:
Motion Remover Mode:
Remove moving subjects from your shots. This mode captures 5 images of a scene in quick succession; the five images are then analyzed and combined in-camera to produce a single image where anything moving in the scene is removed.
Multi-Motion Capture Mode:
This mode captures 5 images of a moving subject in rapid succession and combines them into a single composite image containing multiple sharply-captured views of the subject motion.
Multi-Frame Image Stabilization (not a new feature, but worth noting too):
Combines high and low ISO exposures of the scene being photographed to reduce blur caused by camera shake without significantly increasing image noise (first appeared in Samsung cameras 4 or 5 years ago). The FinePix HS10 also has the ‘Pro Low Light’ mode, which combines several exposures into a single image for low noise output in low light (first appeared in Casio and Sony cameras and, possibly, Sony-Ericsson phones few years ago).
The BSI sensor pixel size is 2.5um for CSDW60CM28 and 3.63um for CSDS60CM3 cameras. It would be interesting to learn who makes these relatively large pixel BSI sensors.
Meanwhile Fujifilm announced its first BSI sensor-based camera. The new HS10 camera uses 1/2.3-inch 10.3MP (eff.) sensor (Imaging Resource). It appears to be similar to the sensors used in recent Sony, Casio, Samsung and JVC BSI cameras.
The HS10 fast sensor enables few interesting features in the camera processing:
Motion Remover Mode:
Remove moving subjects from your shots. This mode captures 5 images of a scene in quick succession; the five images are then analyzed and combined in-camera to produce a single image where anything moving in the scene is removed.
Multi-Motion Capture Mode:
This mode captures 5 images of a moving subject in rapid succession and combines them into a single composite image containing multiple sharply-captured views of the subject motion.
Multi-Frame Image Stabilization (not a new feature, but worth noting too):
Combines high and low ISO exposures of the scene being photographed to reduce blur caused by camera shake without significantly increasing image noise (first appeared in Samsung cameras 4 or 5 years ago). The FinePix HS10 also has the ‘Pro Low Light’ mode, which combines several exposures into a single image for low noise output in low light (first appeared in Casio and Sony cameras and, possibly, Sony-Ericsson phones few years ago).
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