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Toshiba announced a new 13-megapixel, 1.12 micrometer CMOS image sensor that promises to deliver high-image quality equivalent to a 1.4 micrometer sensor. The company did this by implementing back side illumination (BSI) technology and integrated color noise reduction (CNR) to make a sensor that fits into an 8.5×8.5 mm size camera module. As a result, smartphones using this sensor will have cameras that make high-quality pictures even in low-light conditions.
The problem with smaller image sensors is that the miniaturization of pixel size impacts performance of light sensitivity and signal to noise ratio (SNR). While BSI technology helps improve sensitivity, it falls short on elevating image quality. Toshiba combined BSI and CNR to address both low-light sensitivity and SNR. This in turn allows the Toshiba CMOS image sensor to provide approximately 1.5 times higher SNR value than a 1.12 micrometer pixel image sensor with no CNR feature.
As for when we can expect to see this technology integrated in smartphones, the company will start sampling its new sensors starting from next month, meaning that the first devices could hit the market at some point in H2 2013. We’ll see…
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
