14 DAY TRIAL // Japanese electronics manufacturer Toshiba has just announced its new 8 megapixels CMOS image sensor that features the company's “back side illumination” technology.
According to Toshiba, the new CMOS image sensor features industry's smallest pixel size (1.12 micrometers), as well as enhanced sensitivity and improved imaging performance through the use of back-side illumination technology.
Given the size and the unique capabilities of the new CMOS image sensor, the company expects that the technology will become mainstream in a wide array of portable devices, ranging from mobile phones and digital cameras to smartphones and tablets.
“As smartphones and other portable digital devices move to smaller form factors, image sensors must also shrink in size. This presents imaging subsystem designers with a challenge: how do you get smaller and smaller image sensors to support higher image resolutions when miniaturization can cause a fall off in performance?” said Andrew Burt, vice president, Analog and Imaging Business Unit, System LSI Group, TAEC.
It looks like the first BSI CMOS image sensor produced by Toshiba will feature a .25-inch optical format and 8-megapixel.
Each pixel will measure only 1.12 micrometers, while the sensor will support video capture at up to 60 frames-per-second (fps) in both 1080p and 720p high-definition.
“Our BSI technology overcomes this problem by deploying the lens on the rear of the sensor, on its silicon substrate, not on the front, where wiring limits light absorption. This positioning boosts light sensitivity and absorption, and allows Toshiba to make finer quality image pixels in smaller-sized CMOS image sensors,” added Burt.
Toshiba stated that the sampling of the new sensor is due to start at the end of July, while mass production is expected to begin in late 2011.
The company priced the samples of the new 8-megapixel CMOS image sensor at $15 per unit.