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FLIR announces FLIR One - a $350 thermal imaging camera that clips on back of iPhone 5 or 5s:


The camera has two sensors - an IR one with unknown resolution and a visible light VGA sensor that "adds visible spectrum detail to thermal images and enhances resolution":


A promotional Youtube video talks about the new camera applications:



Thanks to SF for the link!

Update: FLIR also announces Lepton thermal imaging camera core - similar in size, weight, and power consumption to a conventional CMOS cell phone camera module, said to be the world's smallest microbolometer-based thermal imaging camera core currently available. Lepton is used in FLIR One camera. It has "a breakthrough lens fabricated in wafer form, a microbolometer FPA, and advanced thermal image processing on an ASIC. Lepton is fully compatible with FLIR’s patented multi-spectral imaging (MSX) technology, which allows visible and thermal image streams to be combined for sharper, more visually pleasing hybrid images."

FLIR Lepton Module

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PR Newswire: AltaSen will soon offer its first 1080p60 WDR sensor fully meeting all specifications at operational temperatures up to 85°C.
The AL30205C-85 and its supporting ASIC have already been fully qualified to JESD-47 along with Qualification of Integrated Circuits and elements per JESD22, JESD85, and JESD78, and will be fully qualified by early 2014 to AEC-Q100 Grade 3. Sensors and ASICs qualified from zero to 60°C are already in mass production.

The HD chipset delivers WDR HD video at 1080p30 through 1080p60 with up to 120 dB dynamic range with a minimum of motion artifacts as enabled by its U.S. Pat. No. 8,605,177.

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Business Wire, PR Newswire: Toshiba announces “Bright Mode” CMOS image sensor technology that allows smartphones and tablets to record Full HD video at 240fps, the industry’s highest frame rate, according to the company. Regular high frame rate requires a short exposure time, resulting in underexposed images. “Bright Mode” technology doubles the exposure time by adopting interlaced video output, instead of a progressive one. Toshiba will also provide an interlace-progressive conversion program to make high quality progressive video with low deterioration, without changing frame rate.

“Bright Mode” also employs charge binning, which doubles the electrical charge of each pixel. The technology also realizes 240 fps equivalent Full HD video recording. “Bright Mode” sensors can playback high quality video in slow motion at one-eighth standard speed, bringing new dimensions to imaging.

Sample sensors incorporating “Bright Mode” will be available in Q1 2014.

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Business Wire: Aptina announces the 1/5-inch VGA ASX350AT SOC and the 1/4-inch 1MP AR0140AT image sensor for automotive applications. The VGA-resolution 3.75um pixel ASX350AT SOC is aimed to cost effective single-chip rear view cameras (RVC) to comply with potential requirements from the NHTSA. It supports NTSC/PAL interfaces and features dynamic overlay capability, an on-chip temperature sensor for system feedback and additional optical pixels to assist lens alignment during camera manufacturing. The sensor features DR-Pix dual gain pixel technology with responsivity of 6.67 V/lux-s in high gain mode and 2.44 V/lux-s in low gain mode (at 550nm). The DR is 82.2dB.

Aptina ASX350AT SOC

The 1MP AR0140AT provides tier-1 auto manufacturers with HDR capture of up to 96dB or linear capture, and a low light sensitive 3.0-µm pixel with DR-PIX technology. The on-chip statistics engine and temperature monitoring improves overall camera system control and protection. When combined with Aptina’s co-processor, the AP0100AT, the AR0140AT enables a 720p rear view camera solution with multiple dynamic colored overlays, perspective and lens distortion correction, extended de-warp capabilities with options for front/side viewing and images to assist the driver that are split into three sections (Triptych viewing).

The ASX350AT and the AR0140AT are AEC-Q100 qualified with an operating temperature range of -40ºC to +105ºC and are in production now.

PR Newswire: OmniVision announces the OV10626 AutoVision sensor for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The OV10626 supports both NTSC analog and digital outputs, as well as dual dynamic overlay functions. The sensor has color HDR mode of up to 120 dB and low-light sensitivity of 15 V/Lux-sec.

"Conventionally, HDR and high sensitivity have been mutually exclusive in automotive imaging. With the OV10626, however, we now offer both features in a compact, single-chip solution," said Inayat Khajasha, senior product marketing manager for automotive products at OmniVision.

The OV10626 is packaged in OmniVision's proprietary AutoVision chip-scale package (aCSP), which is said to be the industry's most compact and efficient package available.


PR Newswire: Omnivision also announces the 720p30 OV9762 CameraChip for front-facing cameras in smartphones and tablets, featuring OmniVision's first 1.87um OmniBSI-2 pixel. The OV9762 records 1.3MP (1376 x 960 pixel ) video at 30fps, or 720p30 HD video with EIS. "By using this new, slightly larger pixel, we developed an image sensor that offers dramatically improved HD video in a package that is pin-to-pin compatible with the previous generation OV9760," said Archie de Guzman, senior product marketing manager at OmniVision.

The OV9762 fits into a 4.3 x 4.1 mm package and is currently in volume production.

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Sony Imaging Technology web page says: "Sony is the world's No. 1 manufacturer of image sensors for digital cameras and video recorders (based on Sony research from April 2012 to March 2013 that shows Sony has a 50% market share)."

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PriorSmart: In Sept. 2013, California Institute of Technology filed a lawsuit against OmniVision on the infringement of its 8 patents:

• 6,570,617: "CMOS active pixel sensor type imaging system on a chip" by Fossum et. al. Filed 1/2/2001 & Granted 5/27/2003.
• 7,369,166: "Single substrate camera device with CMOS image sensor" by Fossum et. al. Filed 4/15/2003 & Granted 5/6/2008.
• 5,841,126: "CMOS active pixel sensor type imaging system on a chip" by Fossum et. al. Granted 11/24/1998.
• 5,990,506: "Active pixel sensors with substantially planarized color filtering elements" by Fossum et. al. Granted 11/23/1999.
• 6,549,235: "Single substrate camera device with CMOS image sensor" by Fossum et. al. Filed 7/21/1998 & Granted 4/15/2003.
• 7,615,808: "Structure for implementation of back-illuminated CMOS or CCD imagers" by Pain et. al. Granted 11/10/2009.
• 7,749,799: "Back-illuminated imager and method for making electrical and optical connections to same" by Pain. Granted 7/6/2010.
• 6,606,122: "Single chip camera active pixel sensor" by Shaw et. al. Granted 8/12/2003.

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EETimes Europe reports that LFoundry Rousset, France fab has been declared bankrupt and closed. Its 600 employees have been laid off. The fab used to offer 0.15um and 0.11um CIS processes:


Lfoundry bought the Rousset plant from Atmel in 2010 for €1, and Atmel was the main customer for Rousset until mid-2013. Now, the only active LFoundry's fab is the one in Avezzano, Italy, bought from Micron in June 2013. The Avezzano fab offers CIS process to customers. It also enjoys a 4 years wafer supply agreement with Aptina. It's a 50:50 joint venture between LFoundry Europe and Marsica Innovation SpA, a company owned by the Italian fab's management.

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Law360: ON Semiconductor sues CMOSIS and others for allegedly infringing four of its patents covering image sensor technology, including two patents by one of CMOSIS's co-founders, Guy Meynants, according to the court documents. The U.S. patents are 5933190, 6011251, 7408195 and 7608516.

Update: ON Semi also sued San Diego-based AlliedSens LLC, CMOSIS distributor in the US, and German Leica Camera AG, which uses CMOSIS sensors into one of its cameras. ON Semiconductor sent CMOSIS a cease-and-desist letter in late September 2013, but the CMOSIS denied that its products infringe the asserted patents, the complaint says.

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EETimes Europe: Edinburgh, Scotland-based Pyreos announces its first gesture control products using PIR image sensors. The PY01430 a dedicated mobile application solution, enables gesture commands at up to 20cm and comes in a very small consumer electronics friendly package for ease of integration. The PY01471 enable the use of very low cost Fresnel lens to extend the range of the gesture sensor to greater than 1 meter whilst consuming the same low power as it sister device PY01430. The sensors are said to consume microwatts of power.

Jeff Gray, VP of Sales and Marketing says: "I believe we have truly opened the door for our customers to simply make the right decision to use gesture sensors in their mobile devices without the concern of significant battery drain, caused by LED based gesture sensors. Our customer have long since told us that the biggest concern with gesture was power consumption based on their test of a number of LED based solution, this has cause a delay in adopting gesture technology, they further state that they would not be able to offer the consumer true gesture functionality because of this. Well today that all changes thanks to Pyreos new gesture family of products. The ability to offer significantly low power features like always on and wake on motion, will at last give the consumer a true touchless experience."

The company announces a new funding round of $4M, led by Robert Bosch Venture Capital, Seraphim Capital, Siemens Technology Accelerator and the Scottish Investment Bank (SIB).

A Youtube video explains Pyreos' approach:



A year-old company presentation emphasizes the strong points of the technology:

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Korea IT News, Digitimes report that so called "blue filters" used in high-resolution BSI camera modules are in short supply. The "blue filters" are made of IR-absorbing material that can keep its IR stopping efficiency in wide acceptance angle typical for modern BSI sensors. Older FSI-based modules used multi-layer IR cut filters which are more sensitive to the angle. Korean makers OPTRONTEC, OPTRONTECH, Nanos and LMS have entered the market dominated by Japanese Asahi Glass and German Schott and drive the prices down.


Samsung Securities report gives more examples of BSI sensor artifacts when used with older IR cut filters:

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Eric Fossum and Donald Hondongwa submitted Pinned Photodiode review paper for publication in open-access IEEE Journal of Electron Devices Society, J-EDS.

The experiment is to publish a draft version of the review paper and solicit input – especially on things that ought to be referenced or discussed – in order to create the best possible review paper for our community. A list of references is quite extensive and currently counts 102 items. Here is the link to the draft version:

"A Review of the Pinned Photodiode for CCD and CMOS Image Sensors"

Abstract: The pinned photodiode is the primary photodetector structure used in most CCD and CMOS image sensors. This paper reviews the development, physics, and technology of the pinned photodiode.

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Hamamatsu News 2013, Vol. 2 presents a number of multi-pixel SPAD devices, or as the company calls them, Multi-Pixel Photon Counters (MPPC) with pixel sizes spanning from 10um to 100um:


The 400-pixel S12576-050 and 3600-pixel S12577-050 MPPCs include Peltier cooling element in quite a compact package:


The S12572-010C boasts resolution of 90,000 pixels on a 3mm x 3mm die, with pixel pitch of 10um. Impressive resolution and pixel size for a photon counter:

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Vision Research announces the Phantom v2010. The new 1MP camera is able to capture more than 22,000fps at full resolution or 1280 x 800. The camera is based on a custom-designed image sensor having 28um pixels. The pixels are said to have 12b "bit depth", not sure what it means. The sensor has a global shutter with fastest speed of 1us (standard version) or 500ns (export-controlled version). The physical size of the sensor is 35.8mm x 22.4mm.

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TowerJazz publishes Q&A document on its joint venture with Panasonic. One of the answers directly states that the most advanced Panasonic internal CIS processes are becoming available to TowerJazz customers on a foundry basis:

Q: What does the acquisition mean for TowerJazz customers?

A: The JV will provide TowerJazz customers with access to a 12 inch fab, enabling the company with a cutting edge technology roadmap on top of its current offering, and will include 65nm and 45nm CMOS and 65nm advanced image sensor production flows.
Furthermore, the JV is expected to increase TowerJazz’s technology portfolio by providing multiple additional specialty flows, including Panasonic’s High Definition FSI – a world famous CIS benchmark technology for high quantum efficiency, its world class low dark current CIS technology, and its high voltage SOI based power management technologies.

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Sony announces 16.35MP/10fps, 1.34um BSI pixel IMX206CQC/HQC sensor with main differentiation being the smaller package and the lower power than its predecessor:

Package Size Comparison

Power Consumption Comparison

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Digitimes reports that Galaxycore has a 60-70% market share on Chinese image sensor market and now plans to diversify into LCD driver ICs.

Meanwhile, Galaxycore web site presents its first 1.4um BSI pixel sensor - the 5MP 1/4-inch GC5004:

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CMOSIS publishes a Youtube video presenting the company capabilities:

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Business Wire: Toshiba starts sample shipments of the previously announced TCM9518MD stereo camera module for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, on January 31, 2014. The new product is said to be the industry's first dual camera module to incorporate twin 1/4-inch 5MP sensors, which simultaneously outputs recorded images and depth data.

The depth data is calculated by a dedicated image processing LSI which measures and appends the depth data to objects in the image. Used in combination with customers' applications, the module supports new photo functions, including focus and defocus, and even allows objects in photographs to be extracted and erased. The image processing LSI generates 13MP images by upscaling images taken by the twin 5MP cameras, realizing a lower module height than that of conventional 13MP camera modules.

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Business Wire, Reuters: TowerJazz and Panasonic sign a definitive agreement to create a joint venture (JV) to manufacture Panasonic’s products. Panasonic will transfer its semiconductor manufacturing process and capacity tools of 8-inch and 12-inch wafers at its Hokuriku factories (Uozu, Tonami and Arai) to the JV, committing to acquire its products from the JV for a period of at least five years, and will transfer to TowerJazz 51% of the shares of this JV.

The JV is expected to increase TowerJazz’s technology offerings, including Panasonic's High Definition FSI technology known for high QE and low dark current. High Definition FSI is said to enable the use of FSI even for small pixels. It consists of light separation walls combined with a light pipe structure that funnels the light into the individual pixels with minimal light loss. This technology provides a high QE, and wide acceptance angles that helps in preventing shading at the periphery and improves color separation leading to true and vivid colors.

The dark current performance CIS technology is said to be one of the best in the industry, not only in the average very low values of dark currents even at elevated temperatures, but also with extremely small tail of high dark current pixels, known as hot pixels. As a result, Panasonic technology allows excellent images at low light conditions with no hot pixels in the image. This technology is well suited for high end DSLR type cameras.

Russell Ellwanger, TowerJazz CEO, commented, "We are honored to place our name side by side with Panasonic Corporation to create an innovative joint venture that provides high capacity, highest quality, multiple world leading analog platforms and, as well, 300mm advanced technology nodes. This partnership brings together two leaders – Panasonic, an acknowledged analog components and systems leader, and TowerJazz, a recognized analog foundry leader - to create a company that will serve and grow the analog foundry space as no existing single foundry company can."

For its 51% equity holding in the JV, TowerJazz will issue to Panasonic ordinary shares in the value of approximately $8M, based on TowerJazz average shares value during March 2014. As a result of holding its ordinary shares, Panasonic will become a minority stakeholder in TowerJazz. The JV balance sheet assets will include, among others, the cap-ex tools of the three fabs, cash in the amount of approximately $40M to be invested by Panasonic and work in process (inventories) manufactured at Panasonic fabs before the closing date.

Following this transaction, TowerJazz will rationalize its Japanese business, which may include fab consolidations between TowerJazz's Nishiwaki facility and the JV's facilities, and to this end, TowerJazz is evaluating potential ventures for the Nishiwaki facility. the 8-inch Nishiwaki plant has been acquired from Micron in 2011. It's used to manufacture Aptina sensors in 90nm process. Recently, Tower started to offer a foundry CIS process at Nishiwaki fab too.


Update: Panasonic has published more details on the JV fabs:

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IEEE Spectrum: ESA Gaia space observatory equipped with 106 e2v's CCDs with the total area of 0.5m x 1m and combined resolution of 1 Giga-pixel has been launched to space on a five year mission to map the galaxy.

This focal plane array has been designed and built by Astrium and will contain a mosaic of 106 large area, high performance Charged Coupled Device (CCD) CCD91-72 image sensors, which are custom designed, manufactured and tested by e2v. The CCD package is 3 sided buttable, to minimise the dead space between CCDs when they are tiled together in the mosaic. The CCDs are of BSI type, so this becomes not only the largest sensor camera, but also the largest BSI camera in space.

Hans Faulks, General Business Unit Manager for Space and Astronomy commented: "We are immensely proud and excited to finally see our image sensors embark on this mission. All the hard work, dedication and expertise that has been put into our sensors and into the mission will finally come to fruition. Our products will now play their part in history as we help increase our understanding of our universe."

Gaia CCD array assembly. Source: ESA

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DxO Labs has updated embedded imaging pages on its web site. The pages describe the company's ISP, computational photography and services offerings. The news section announces that Motorola's Moto-X phone uses DxO Labs EIS video stabilization with jello effect compensation. A short Youtube video compares DxO's software EIS with OIS in Nokia Lumia 1020:

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PR Newswire: OmniVision and Gionee, a smartphone manufacturer in China, have jointly developed a 16MP camera for Gionee's flagship smartphone using OmniVision's OV16825 CameraChip sensor (announced in 2012).

"OmniVision continuously strives to work with technology partners like Gionee that share our passion for innovation and exceeding consumer expectations. We're delighted to see the OV16825 built into a cutting-edge smartphone like the ELIFE E7," said Raymond Wu, president of OmniVision.

"This smartphone reflects Gionee's deep understanding of customer needs, as well as its close ties with world-class technology leaders like OmniVision, " said Lu Weibing, CEO of Gionee.

The 1/2.3-inch OV16825 is capable of operating in full-resolution 16MP video at 30fps, 4K2K (3840 x 2160) video at 60fps, and 1080p HD video at 60fps with extra pixels for EIS. The sensor is based on 1.34um OmniBSI-2 pixels. The OV16825 is currently in volume production.

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The UK Open University’s Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI) and e2v ongoing collaboration in image sensor technology is set to benefit from £1M sponsorship over the five years.

The sponsorship of the CEI helps support the group’s research on imaging devices for science applications such as the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia mission, to be launched this week, and ESA’s Euclid mission to probe the ‘dark’ Universe. The collaboration also actively encourages the free exchange of knowledge and ideas through regular e2v staff visits, technical workshops and the supply of devices and equipment to support the research.

Professor of Electro-Optics at The Open University, Andrew Holland, said: "The CEI has worked closely with e2v in imaging sensor research for years, and the collaboration has been instrumental in the growth of the group."

The CEI 8 PhD students, predominantly funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the e2v sponsorship on the Collaborative Awards in Science and Engineering (CASE) programme, work in imaging sensor research in support of future space missions and science experiments. The sponsorship also funds the training of e2v staff though continuing professional development workshops held at The Open University. This training is also offered to other space industries as part of their internal continuing professional development (CPD).

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Business Wire: Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) awards Ambarella with the award for the Favorite Analyst Semiconductor Company of 2013. Semiconductor financial analysts from top-tier firms select their favorite company based on historical as well as projected data such as stock performance, revenue growth, net profit margin, revenue forecasts and product performance.

"It is an honor to receive the GSA’s 2013 award for Favorite Analyst Semiconductor Company, our sixth GSA award," said Fermi Wang, CEO of Ambarella. "We have experienced a year of continued growth in wearable sports, video surveillance and automotive camera markets as well as strong performance in our broadcast infrastructure business. In the year ahead, we will continue to partner closely with our customers to successfully bring their innovative products to market."

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Apple PCT application WO2013/184414 "Cover for Image Sensor Assembly with Light Absorbing Layer and Alignment Features" by Terence Tam and Jeffrey Gleason proposes package cover where "the light absorbing layer 124 includes one or more openings 126 that provide a line-of-sight view 128 of two opposing corners of the image sensor die 110 to facilitate placing the cover 120 over the upper surface 108 of the package 102 in registry with the image sensor array 112."

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Reuters, The Telegraph: CSR announces that it will no longer develop new ISPs for digital cameras due to the market weakness and smartphone cameras competition. CSR has entered the camera processor market with acquisition of Zoran in 2011. Its COACH image processor line used to be popular among the major digital camera makers. The line has contributed $36M of revenue in the first nine months of the year. About 200 jobs will be eliminated by Q2 2014 as a result of the re-structuring.

CSR COACH 14

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Chipworks continues a virtual tour in its labs. This time the company explains Tapping-Mode Atomic Force Microscopy (TM-AFM) principle and its difference from the regular AFM. This comes quite useful when profiling the microlens shape:

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SonyAlphaRumors quotes "very trusted sources" saying that Sony develops a 54MP sensor with an integrated phase-detect AF to appear in cameras in 2015. "This sensor is also the first that has not been designed with a classic RGB (Bayer) pixel structure." It depends on the competition "whether Sony will launch the camera with the new sensor in late 2015 or during 2016."

Thanks to DM for the link!

Sony is known by its experiments with color patterns. In 2003 it added Emerald color to RGB color filter array. In 2010 Sony announced Cinealta super-35mm image sensor with non-Bayer color filter, not to talk about ClearVid 45deg-rotated Bayer pattern used in many Sony consumer and professional video cameras, and older cameras using other exotic patterns.

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Point Grey published a nice Youtube video presenting the newly announced Sony IMX174 global shutter sensor and its spec. Point Grey appears to be the early adapter of the sensor, as it already used in its Grasshopper camera. The key specs are:

• DR - 73dB
• Peak QE @ 525nm - over 70%
• Read noise - 6e-

Thanks to MJ for the link!

At ISSCC 2012, Sony presented a 5MP, 5.86um pixel sensor with global shutter that looks quite similar to IMX174 in terms of pixel technology, albeit resolution, frame rate and other parameters are not the same:

"An 83dB-dynamic-range single-exposure global-shutter CMOS image sensor with in-pixel dual storage"
by Sakakibara, M. ; Oike, Y. ; Takatsuka, T. ; Kato, A. ; Honda, K. ; Taura, T. ; Machida, T. ; Okuno, J. ; Ando, A. ; Fukuro, T. ; Asatsuma, T. ; Endo, S. ; Yamamoto, J. ; Nakano, Y. ; Kaneshige, T. ; Yamamura, I. ; Ezaki, T. ; Hirayama, T.

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Marketwired: Ziptronix announces an agreement with Tezzaron Semiconductor and Novati Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tezzaron, to sell its 3D IC development lab to Tezzaron, to be operated by Novati. Due to widespread adoption of direct bonding in volume manufacturing, Ziptronix no longer has to dedicate its resources to supporting a lab for commercialization of its patented ZiBond and DBI technologies. The deal includes a strategic agreement with Tezzaron that provides Ziptronix's lab customers continued access to the facility.

Triange Business Journal adds that Novati takes over 11 Ziptronix employees. The six remaining Ziptronix staffers moved from the lab with the headquarters in Raleigh, NC. Ziptronix's work will still be conducted at the facility as part of the deal. The 11 employees will continue "to do what they always did, but they’re working for Novati."

"ZiBond has been in high-volume manufacturing for several years now and DBI is well on its way into production," said Dan Donabedian, CEO of Ziptronix. "Quite simply, as the market is now convinced of the value of our technology, our needs have shifted. As we look to accelerate 3D integration, our focus is increasingly on addressing the needs of the maturing and emerging markets that are adopting our technology via licensing."

Ziptronix's DBI (Direct Bond Interconnect) is said to achieve over 100,000,000 electrical connections per square centimeter; a significant increase over the ~100,000 connections per square centimeter density achieved with through-die vias used in other 3D interconnect approaches. DBI is said to be considered by several manufacturers of next generation image sensors to directly connect control electronics and memory to the pixel sensing layer. This can enable direct control of the individual pixel with extremely short connections.

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