Tokyo, Japan—Sony Corp. announced its next-generation image sensors for use in smartphones, digital cameras, medical equipment and other devices that incorporate cameras, aiming to expand its share of the sensor market. Its latest complementary metal oxide semiconductor, or CMOS, sensors pack more functions into chips that are smaller and more cost-efficient than existing ones, executive vice president Tadashi Saito, head of the company’s semiconductor business, said at a press conference.
The company said it expects its new CMOS sensors, which offer better image quality with a smaller chip size, to help it capture a larger slice of the sensor market for smartphones. Unlike conventional sensors, Sony’s new sensors stack the pixel section on top of the circuit section, eliminating the supporting substrate to make the whole chip smaller. Saito said the smaller sensors also allow for increased production capacity without the need for more facilities. “The new sensors will make us more cost-competitive,” he said.
Sony plans to start sample shipments of the sensors in March. sony.com
