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nanoLambda publishes a Youtube animation showing many possible uses for its Apollo microspectrometer:

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Aggregate.org publishes slides on ISO-less camera by Hank Dietz and Paul Eberhart from University of Kentucky presented at SPIE Electronic Imaging conference:

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Financial Times: Sony owns about 40% market share in CMOS sensors for smartphones, digital cameras and tablets, followed by roughly 16% share of OmniVision and 16% share of Samsung, according to 2014 TSR report. But Sony only ranks fifth with a 5% share in automotive image sensors.

Shigeo Ohba, GM of Sony’s image sensor business, said "We have to be No 1 in automotive sensors" by the time self-driving cars are expected to hit the roads in early to mid-2020s. Recently, Sony established a new business group targeting image sensors for cars and is actively hiring engineers. “We were latecomers in smartphone cameras but we still created this market. Now we can do the same with automotive cameras,” said Shoichi Kitayama, Sony’s GM of the automotive group.

Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai is expected to disclose his automotive image sensor plans on the strategy briefing on Wednesday.

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Modular Phones Forum: Toshiba presents its work on camera module design for Google Project Ara modular phones. Shardul Kazi, SVP from Toshiba America, says:

"We’ve been engaged in Ara program for more than a year now. Engagement started because of Toshiba’s involvement in the standards committee of MIPI UniPro, and UniPro is a backbone of the Ara phone. So we know UniPro very well. To make developers life easier we developed bridges (two types of bridges and the switch chip), so module developers can use those chips and they don’t need to learn about complexity of UniPro protocol."

So, Toshiba has started from the camera modules as Phase 1 of its Ara designs:


Toshiba has created a special web site devoted to its Ara modules progress and featuring a Youtube video with the first 5MP module:

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ST and Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives patent application "Back side illumination image sensor with low dark current" by Jean-Pierre Carrere, Patrick Gros D'aillon, Stephane Allegret-Maret, and Jean-Pierre Oddou proposes an additional conductive layer on the BSI image sensor backside to screen the back of the imager from plasma processing-introduced defects:

"The degradation comes from plasma-based treatments used during the treatments of the back side of the sensor, particularly for forming the back side metallic contact pads, of aluminum for example, and for forming the layer protecting the colored filters, which aims to protect these filters during the slicing of the sensors along the slicing lines of the semiconductor wafer.

More precisely, the plasma charges the silicon oxide-silicon nitride stack triggering a trapping of positive charges (holes) in the anti-reflective silicon nitride layer, holes which will then migrate to the interface with the substrate to create a dark current by recombination with electrons."

In order to reduce the dark current, the application proposes: "an additional layer situated above the anti-reflective layer and including at least a lower part containing hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) or hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H), in which the Si/N ratio of the number of silicon atoms per cubic centimeter to the number of nitrogen atoms per cubic centimeter is greater than 0.7, and preferably greater than or equal to 1.2.

The function of this additional layer is to absorb, or even to stop, ultraviolet radiation, and/or to evacuate the trapped charges in the anti-reflective layer during subsequent plasma treatments, which will therefore reduce the residual positive charges possibly trapped in the anti-reflective layer and consequently reduce the dark current.

The thickness of this lower part of the additional layer is preferably less than a few tens of nanometers, for example a hundred nanometers, or even less than ten nanometers."

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Apple patent application US20150035028 "Image sensor with buried light shield and vertical gate" by Xiaofeng Fan, Philip H. Li, Chung Chun Wan, Anup K. Sharma, Xiangli Li proposes a 2-layer stacked global shutter pixel:


The pixel is split into 2 layers: "a buried light shield 710 separates the sensing layer 702 into a first substrate layer 738 and a second substrate layer 740. The sense region 716, the storage region 712, and the pixel transistors can be in the second substrate layer 740 while the photodetector 708 resides in the first substrate layer 738. The buried light shield 710 prevents unwanted charge accumulation in the storage region 712 and in the sense region 716." The vertical transfer gate 714 is made of poly in the trench and has a contact pad 718.

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Himax reports its 2014 business results: "Revenues from CMOS image sensors also experienced significant growth in 2014 and should continue to be a fast growing product area for Himax in 2015. Sales of the Company’s 2 and 5 megapixel products were particularly strong, mainly due to robust demand from several international customers as well as from Chinese white-box customers. Looking into 2015, Himax expects its sales of 8-megapixel sensors, now the mainstream design for smartphones, to accelerate while high end 13 megapixel sensors to start mass production later in the year. This puts Himax firmly on the map as one of a small handful of companies capable of offering a comprehensive product portfolio for smartphone cameras.

In addition to the a fore-mentioned consumer applications, Himax is also making significant progress in CMOS image sensors for non-consumer applications, which typically enjoy higher margins and have relatively little direct competition. Himax already started initial shipments to a Korean automotive end customer and is actively engaging more module houses to penetrate into Chinese before-market-installation automotive applications. As the Company grows sensor sales for automotive and other non-consumer applications and continues to turn the bulk of its CMOS image sensor sales from 2 and 5 megapixels to higher end, higher margin 8 and 13 megapixels, Himax expects its CMOS image sensor business to accelerate in 2015."

"CMOS Image sensor sales nearly doubled year over year."

"Furthermore, the Company continues to partner with numerous industry leading companies using its cutting edge and industry-dominant wafer level optics, or WLO, for the development of ...technologies of the future, namely array cameras. ...To meet the anticipated demand growth for its LCOS and WLO products, the Company is expanding its production capacity starting in Q1 2015."

From Himax Feb 2015 investor presentation:

Himax customers

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DPReview: Canon exhibits 120MP, 2.2um pixel image sensor prototype at CP+ photography expo in Yokohama, Japan. To boost the sensor speed, Canon utilizes "parallel processing, which reads signals at high speed from multiple pixels." It seems to be the same sensor that Canon announced 4.5 years ago (see the official announcement here).

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Euronext TV: CMOSIS CEO, Luc Demey, rang the closing bell at Euronext Stock Exchange in Brussels, Belgium:

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EETimes publishes an interview with Pierre Cambou, one of the authors of Yole's recent report on CMOS sensor market. Yole predicts that the next trend will likely be 3-D Hybrid CMOS image sensors that by-pass the TSVs for high precision direct copper-to-copper wafer bonding, allowing per-pixel interconnects between the wafers:


Another interesting point is that Yole seems to be too conservative estimating the image sensor market growth in its reports:

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GlobeNewswire: FLIR is partnering with TowerJazz to manufacture its next generation IR technology to smartphone, security, industrial and other markets. "The partnership between TowerJazz and FLIR has been excellent. Together, we have rapidly implemented a state of the art manufacturing capability in Newport Beach, CA. The Newport Beach site can facilitate commercial, ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), and more recently Category 1A & 1B "Trusted" services through our subsidiary, Jazz Semiconductor Trusted Foundry (JSTF), as accredited by the U.S. Department of Defense. In particular, we developed an industry leading capability for advanced micro thermal pixel array production," said David Howard, Executive Director and Fellow, TowerJazz.

These micro thermal pixel arrays include novel, high density pixels that enable FLIR to offer more powerful sensors with higher resolution in compact form factors. "When we combine the micro thermal arrays with integrated FLIR wafer level optics, software and MSX technology with TowerJazz process and manufacturing capability, we are able to deliver breakthrough product performance and value," said Tom Surran, COO at FLIR Systems.

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Image Sensors and Imaging Systems 2015 conference announces the best paper and the best student paper at its Plenary Session today.

The Best Paper Award is "2.2um BSI CMOS image sensor with two layer photodetector", H. Sasaki, A. Mochizuki, Y. Sugiura, R. Hasumi, K. Eda, Y. Egawa, H. Yamashita, K. Honda, H. Ootani, T. Asami, TOSHIBA CORP., T. Ohguro, H. Momose, Y. Toyoshima, TOSHIBA MATERIALS CO Ltd.

The Best Student Paper Award goes to "Multi-camera synchornization code implemented on USB3-based FPGA platform", R. Sousa, Univ. da Madeira, M. Wäny, P. Santos, AWAIBA Lda, M. Diaz, Univ da Madeira and Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute.

Thanks to AD for the info!

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Samsung marketing publishes a couple of slides showing the mobile imaging importance:

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The Guardian, Democrat & Chronicle: Ling (Jim) Tan, CEO and Owner of Dynamax Imaging has been killed, alledgely by his 19-year old son. Dynamax Imaging used to be Panavision Imaging, and, before that, was an image sensor group of Silicon Image. Silicon Image got this group by acquiring Photon Vision Systems (PVS).

Update: Wayne Post adds few bits of info on Dynamax and its CEO: "The company was formerly based in Homer, in Cortland County, but in 2013 relocated to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's (CNSE) Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center of Excellence (STC) on Campus Drive in Canandaigua. The move was needed after the company outgrew its former Homer home.

When the announcement of the move to Ontario County came about in March 2013, Dynamax brought in excess of $3 million in equipment, plus 100 jobs, at the STC over a three- to five-year time span. The majority of the company's engineers, scientists and researchers from other U.S. locations moved to STC in 2013."

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International Business Strategies, Inc, forecasts image sensor market growth and partitioning (slide #16):


and says that image sensor fabs live long lives (slide 25):

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Digitimes Research believes that China will be acquiring many Western semiconductor companies, which Omnivision being one of them.

"Establishing world-class IDMs is one of China's potential policy goals under the 13th Five-Year Plan. To accomplish this, a mature IC industry supply chain will be required. Making acquisitions of foreign companies to complement the existing IC industry supply chain is one of the best ways. Acquiring foreign companies that have technological competitiveness would allow China's IC industry to improve its technology capability. Moreover, the establishment of a CNY120 billion national investment fund will assist China's local IC firms to make acquisitions overseas. Digitimes Research believes that China-based IC design houses would complete more mergers and acquisitions overseas during the 13th Five-Year Plan period."

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Sharp Challenge for Change Magazine publishes an article on its colorized NIR camera developed with National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). The CCD-based camera uses IR LEDs to illuminate a night scene and somehow manages to reconstruct the color image:

"...because near infrared light has a completely different composition than visible light, these must be reconstructed as colors close to those that we can see. In other words, in the theory of capturing color at night, an object is irradiated with invisible near infrared rays—not the visible light we normally see. Light reflects back off the object and the colors of this light’s various wavelengths are analysed and subsequently reproduced as the colors we can see.

Although capturing color in the dark is based on sound theory, actually putting this theory into a working product presented Sharp with a number of challenges. But we knew that if such a product could be realized, then even objects existing in total darkness could be seen in color. Sharp thus proceeded to pool all of its resources into overcoming the obstacles."

"We had finally succeeded in developing technology for a single device capable of capturing color during both day and night. But realizing a totally new pixel structure would require highly advanced technology. Pooling the vast experience of our engineers with 40 years of experience and technology accumulated in the CCD development field, we embarked upon exhaustive trial-and-error testing that made use of our existing semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Our engineers were practically master craftsmen in the way they made fine adjustments to create the substrate. Most of the development period was taken up in reworking our existing semiconductor fabrication equipment so that it would carry out automated mass production of the new CCD."

The color night-vision camera won the Digital Imaging Award in the CEATEC JAPAN 2014, Innovation Awards “As Selected by U.S. Journalists” and the Japan Brand Award in the 2014 10 Best New Product Awards, sponsored by the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.

NIR image as seen by regular camera

Same image reproduced by Sharp color night camera

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CMOSIS opens a subsidiary CMOSIS America LLC in Raleigh, NC, established in January 2015. Bruce Bradford serves as Director of Business Development managing U.S. operations and to grow CMOSIS' business and customer base in the Americas. “With the establishment of CMOSIS America LLC we have committed a substantial investment in our local presence in the U.S. to better support our existing American customer base and pursue new business opportunities,” said Lou Hermans, COO of CMOSIS.

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Intel keeps investing in more and more RealSense promotional videos:

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PhoneDog Youtube channel evaluates Intel RealSense rear camera inside Dell Venue 8 7000 tablet. The 3D camera measurements are proved to be fairly accurate:



Tom's Hardware RealSense accuracy tests has shown more mixed results with some measurements being significantly off:


Update: Intel posts a video promoting the RealSense measurement feature:

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Sony patent application US20150029374 "Image sensor, manufacturing apparatus and method, and imaging apparatus" by Yoshiaki Kitano proposes a back-illuminated sensor where at least some of SF, SEL and RST and even TG transistors are placed in a layer grown on top of the photodiode - possibly a local epi, although Sony does not use this word. The transistors are FinFET-like, sort of. Since FinFETs have almost no bulk, the SF gain should be much closer to unity and its effective gate cap should be minimal. The PD area can be expanded to almost whole pixel area:


Update: While we are at Sony news many times this week, WSJ quotes Masahiro Ono, an analyst at Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities, saying "Sony’s image sensors are the best in the world and are at least four years ahead of their competitors." If Sony manages to release this FinFET pixel into production, I would agree with that 4 years ahead claim.

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ON Semiconductor reports Q4 2014 results showing that image sensor products now constitute 19% of the company revenues. ON Semi CFO, Bernard Gutmann, says: "Revenue for our Image Sensor Group was approximately $166 million, as compared to approximately $104 million in the third quarter. The increase of approximately $62 million was driven primarily by inclusion of Aptina for the full quarter."


Other notable quotes from the earnings call:

"Integration of Truesense is effectively complete, and integration of Aptina Imaging is progressing well. For the fourth quarter, Aptina was nicely accretive to our non-GAAP net income, which excludes the impact of such items as costs related to restructuring, fair market value step up of inventory, amortization of intangibles, and other special items. We remain on track to deliver projected financial results provided at the time of announcement of our acquisition of Aptina."

"Based on our experience with the business during last few months, I am very confident of archiving the profitability targets for Aptina. In fact, I am pleased to report that financial performance of Aptina so far has significantly exceeded our expectations. Aptina should enable us to drive growth in the industrial and automotive market in a significant manner. The strategic value of Aptina was further reinforced by extremely positive reaction from many of our customers, especially in the automotive and industrial end-markets."

"Demand from action sports camera customers was stronger than expected during the quarter for our image sensor solutions. We continued to see increasing adoption of 13 megapixel image sensor solutions for mainstream consumer mobile designs. There was also a strong push for Fast Focus and OIS solutions at 13 megapixel and higher."

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Sony quarterly earnings presentation reports strong image sensor sales, revises upwards the yearly sales forecast:


The updated semiconductor business fact sheet from Feb 4, 2015 shows a steady progress of image sensor sales:

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Norwegian poLight AS has raised NOK 146m (~$19M) in a private placement for the next steps towards commercialization of poLight’s autofocus actuators for mobile phone cameras and represents a next step in the announced plan for an IPO. poLight planned to raise NOK 90-120 million in this round of financing. The over subscription enables the company to further accelerate its growth.

“poLight is on track for commercialization of its unique technology and is committed to the ambition of taking a leading role in the market for auto focus lenses used in mobile cameras”, says Øyvind Isaksen, CEO of poLight. poLight works with several potential customers and is in the process of establishing manufacturing capacity in a cooperation with ST Micro as a manufacturing partner. Volume production is planned to start in 2H of 2015.

poLight has a patented Tunable Optical Lens with many performance benefits compared to VCMs, and it is said to score far better in terms of instant focus and low power consumption. Combined with advanced image processing the poLight lens will create new mobile applications such as: Instant Focus enabling to bring the image in focus instantaneously; All in Focus which will allow the user to have all objects in-focus, from close to far; and full resolution Focus after the fact, which enables the user to refocus the picture long after taking it without losing image quality.

TLens Principle

1st ST Wafer with poLight AF

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PR Newswire: Korea-based eWBM Ltd. announces DR1151 SoC that calculates the relative distance to the object with a single-lens Dual Aperture camera. Dual Aperture's 4-color 3D imaging solution extracts RGB and IR signals by single image sensor. eWBM SoC is said to operate at more than 30fps speed with low power.

"As DR1151 has attracted a lot of interest from related companies before it was released, it will be available to customers at home and abroad from the end of February, when the test is completed. We also expect that a full-fledged sales of DR1151 will be carried out from the second half of this year when the applications has been developed," Wookon Koh, the head of marketing for eWBM, said.

DR1151 can be used for various applications such as 3D gesture recognition, gaming, distance-sensitive CCTV, automative collision avoidance systems, contactless fingerprint, single-lends laparoscope and etc. It also can be used to improve functionality of the smart phone camera-high-precision autofocusing macro, focus changes after imaging, 3D background removal and etc. eWBM has attracted an investment of $8,000,000 from Value Invest Korea last year for the commercialization of its next generation imaging technology.

"DR1151 will lead very significant changes in the camera sensor market. It will be the first year for eWBM to become the de facto representative of SoC fabless companies through a successful fab-out of DR1151," said Stephen Sang-geun Oh, CEO of eWBM.

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IMEC officially announces a line of hyperspectral imagers in a mosaic layout with per-pixel on 4x4 and 5x5 ‘Bayer-like’ arrays deposited onto a 2MP 5.5µm pixel CMOSIS CMV2000 sensor:


A full lineup of IMEC hyperspectral offerings now includes both linescan and array imagers:


Also, JB kindly pointed me to a 40-pages presentation on its hyperspectral imaging technologies and projects (HSI). Few slides from the presentation:

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Avnet publishes Vimeo video demoing Aptina HDR sensors:

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Imec publishes its hyperspectral imager flyer. The new imager is based on CMOSIS 2MP image sensor and features 16 or 25 spectral bands per pixel:

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A Youtube video talks about 36-band multispectral imagers developed by students at University of Granada, Spain:

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Nature piblishes an open-access Samsung paper "Organic-on-silicon complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor colour image sensors" by Seon-Jeong Lim, Dong-Seok Leem, Kyung-Bae Park, Kyu-Sik Kim, Sangchul Sul, Kyoungwon Na, Gae Hwang Lee, Chul-Joon Heo, Kwang-Hee Lee, Xavier Bulliard, Ryu-Ichi Satoh, Tadao Yagi, Takkyun Ro, Dongmo Im, Jungkyu Jung, Myungwon Lee, Tae-Yon Lee, Moon Gyu Han, Yong Wan Jin, and Sangyoon Lee. The company proposes superposing an organic photodiode (OPD) onto a CMOS circuit with Si photodiodes, which is said to double the light-input surface area of each pixel:

A G OPD is placed on top of the B and R color filters. The G OPD detects the amount of G light, after which the underlying Si PDs selectively detect the amounts of B and R light through the B and R color filters, respectively.

Samsung publishes properties of its green OPD layer:


The dark current is fairly independent of temperature:


The paper concludes with a picture from 5MP Organic-on-Si imager:

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