Samsung Intros New CMOS Imagers for Mobile Phones

World leader in advanced semiconductor solutions Samsung Electronics announced today the launch of two new CMOS image sensors for mobile phones, the S5K4E2 and the S5K5CA. According to the company, the new, high-performance, cost-efficient, small form-factor imagers are meant to offer designers and manufacturers the possibility to include them in high-end smartphones, as well as in slim mobile handsets.

The new S5K4E2 imager is based on the company's proprietary pixel technology SEES (Samsung Enhanced Energy Steering), and comes as an ultra-sensitive 1/4-inch, 1.4 micron, 5MP chip with an integrated extended depth of field (EDoF) IP. The solution also comes with support for barcode and business card scanning features, and also allows for video recording at up to 15 frames per second, not to mention that it also sports advanced noise-removal logic for a better image quality.

“Designed to fit into a 6.5mm x 6.5mm module with a height dimension of 4.5mm, the S5K4E2 imager is suitable for ultra slim smart phones and other imaging applications which require cost and size competitiveness compared to conventional auto-focus solutions. The S5K4E2 also supports 1.2V digital power supply voltage for low power consumption and has a four-channel anti-shading correction feature for image enhancement processing,” the company notes.

The S5K5CA imager comes as a 1/5-inch, 1.4 micron, 3MP solution that includes an image signal processor (ISP) with the CMOS image sensor in a system-on-chip (SoC) product. The overall module size has been reduced by 25 percent when compared with the company's previous 3Mpixel SOC imager, and the solution is now fit for 6.5mm x 6.5mm fixed focus camera modules, something that makes it a great option for slim mobile phones.

“The S5K5CA’s embedded ISP performs sophisticated image processing functions to enrich user experience with outstanding image quality on par with 1/4-inch, 3Mpixel 1.75 micron imager as well as 720 progressive high definition (HD) video capabilities. The S5K5CA also offers a 10 percent improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for better color precision against the previous 3Mpixel imaging solution,” Samsung notes.

Not to mention that the solutions come with a new JPEG rotation feature, which has been designed to reduce the frame buffer memory for rotated images, something that enables users to save JPEG runtime up to two seconds. The company also states that the new S5K4E2 is currently sampling and that it should enter mass production by the end of Q1 2010, while the S5K5CA imager is already in mass production, and the first devices to use it should land on the market during the ongoing year.