Sensors cut the cost of handset imaging

A Cypress Semiconductor product story

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Sep 30, 2005

New low-cost imaging solutions are designed to directly replace existing quarter-inch VGA image sensors and quarter-inch VGA SoC image sensors in camera-enabled mobile phones.

Cypress Semiconductor has launched a suite of quarter-inch optical format 1.3Mpixel imaging solutions designed to directly replace existing quarter-inch VGA image sensors and quarter-inch VGA SoC image sensors in camera-enabled mobile phones.

These new, low-cost imaging solutions enable mobile device manufacturers to upgrade their offerings with improved image quality at higher resolution while maintaining the same optical format and form factor, resulting in a less expensive bill of materials and lower cost of ownership.

The CYIWOSC1300AA 1.3Mpixel image sensor and CYIWCSC1300AA 1.3Mpixel SoC image sensor are the first camera phone image sensors manufactured on Cypress's 0.13um CMOS process optimised specifically for image sensors.

The image sensors take advantage of Cypress's high fill-factor pixel architecture dramatically improves light sensitivity without sacrificing image quality.

The pixel architecture also eliminates the need for microlenses.

"We recognise that mobile device users are demanding improved image quality on smaller and smaller form factors", said Luc De Mey, Vice President of Cypress's Image Sensor Business Unit.

"Our 1.3Mpixel image sensor solutions directly address this requirement by delivering economical camera-enabled products with improved image quality and resolution within existing form factors".

Cypress's 1.3Mpixel image sensor features a quarter-inch optical format, a frame rate of more than 15frame/s at full resolution and image windowing to any size, while sustaining smooth, continuous video preview at reduced power consumption.

The sensor acts as a master in a system, accepting commands from a two-wire serial interface and delivering Bayer-patterned RGB images or video-like streams through a 10bit parallel data interface.

The 1.3Mpixel SoC image sensor is an SXGA quarter-inch format camera that produces high-quality colour still pictures, even under very poor lighting conditions.

The 1.3Mpixel SoC combines CMOS imaging technology for high-quality, CCD-like image performance with CMOS-derived high integration, ease of design, low cost and low power consumption required by high-performance camera phone applications and low-cost high-volume applications.

The SoC integrates a state-of-the-art image sensor core with an advanced, on-chip image signal processor capable of defect interpolation, black level calibration, lens de-shading, crosstalk compensation, colour mosaic interpolation, colour correction, auto white balancing with illuminant estimation, auto exposure and gain control, sharpening, noise reduction, special effects and gamma correction.

This new suite of devices expands Cypress' image sensor portfolio and complements a stable of Cypress products for the mobile phone market, including pseudo-SRAM and dual-port memories, timing chips, USB controllers for hard-drive enabled phones and PSoC mixed-signal arrays with CapSense technology for capacitive-touch sensing applications such as volume and backlighting control.

The image sensor and SoC feature a pixel size of 2.8 x 2.8um and an image array format of 1280 x 1024 active pixels.

Both devices offer progressive scan and an electronic rolling shutter.

Cypress is currently sampling the CYIWOSC1300AA with production volumes expected to be available in December of 2005.

Cypress expects to sample the CYIWCSC1300AA in the fourth quarter of 2005 with production quantities available in the second quarter of 2006.

Pricing for both devices is expected to be below $3.00 each, in quantity.