Shortage and price increase, the "battle" in the CMOS image sensor industry!

An image sensor is an electronic device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal. Designed to meet specific goals for different applications, it offers different levels of sensitivity and quality.

Bell Laboratory in the United States discovered the phenomenon of charge transfer through semiconductor potential wells, and proposed the new concept of solid-state imaging and the one-dimensional CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) model device. CCD dominated the image sensor market for a long time thereafter.

However, as the application scope of CCD expands, its shortcomings are gradually exposed. The CCD technology chip technology process is complex and cannot be compatible with standard processes. The voltage and power consumption required by this chip are also large, so CCD technology chips are expensive and inconvenient to use.

CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensors have gained industry attention since the 1990s and have received a large amount of manpower and material resources for research and development. Due to their high cost-effectiveness, small size, and low power consumption, CMOS image sensors have gradually reversed the market structure.

Currently, CMOS technology has almost dominated the market.

So, what is CMOS technology and how does it differ from CCD technology?

An "analog" CCD performs the conversion of photons to electrons. CCDs are designed to move charges pixel by pixel until they reach a dedicated readout area amplifier. CCDs are linear sensors whose output is directly related to the number of photons received.

A "digital" CMOS image sensor (CIS) performs a photon-to-voltage conversion, which is amplified directly at the pixel. More advanced CIS technology offers a parallel readout architecture, where each pixel can be addressed individually, or read out in parallel as a group.

CCD: photons — electrons (left) CMOS: photons — voltage (right)

A CMOS image sensor has four main components:

Photodiodes (PD) are used to capture light, and PIN diodes or PN junction devices are generally used to achieve this function. The most widely implemented pixel design is called an "active pixel sensor" (APS). Typically 3-6 transistors are used, which can obtain or buffer pixels from a large capacitor array. Color filters are used to separate the red, green, and blue (RGB) components of the reflected light. Finally, microlenses collect light from the inactive part of the CIS and focus it onto the photodiode. Microlenses typically have a spherical surface and a mesh lens.

In summary, CMOS image sensors have the advantages of small size and low power consumption, and the manufacturing cost of CMOS sensors is much lower than that of CCD sensors, making their market share in the image sensor field reach 90%.

At the same time, the back-illuminated and stacked technologies of CMOS image sensors have gradually developed, making the application scenarios of CMOS image sensors more and more extensive. Smartphones with dual cameras, triple cameras, and 3D cameras are already common, and coupled with the promotion of emerging markets such as automobiles, drones, VR and AR technologies, CMOS image sensors are ushering in a new round of industry growth peaks.

The CMOS image sensor industry, benefiting from the operational recovery of Sony, the global leader with a 42% market share, has developed at a higher growth rate and has become a key component in the semiconductor industry.

Its downstream application areas are vast. According to IC Insights' forecast, in the CMOS field, the market share of mobile phones will drop to 48% in 2020, while the market share of automatic control, security, computers and other fields will gradually increase.

Currently, Sony is still the absolute leader in the CMOS image sensor market.

This is due to the extremely high image quality performance and relatively affordable prices of Sony sensors. Looking at the mobile phone market, which has the largest share of CMOS image sensors, Sony almost monopolizes all mid-to-high-end mobile phone brands.

After iPhone 4S, Apple has been a major customer of Sony CMOS. In addition, Samsung, Huawei, OPPO and other brands have also selected Sony image sensors for their machines.

At the end of 2015, Sony acquired Toshiba's image sensor business for $155 million. The acquisition included factories, equipment and related employees. After the acquisition, Toshiba's image sensor business will be fully integrated and operated under Sony's semiconductor subsidiary.

Sony's authorized distributors in Greater China include: Shenzhen Kehuite Electronics, Hongzhan Digital, Guangzhou Mani Electronics Technology, Guangzhou Maisheng Energy Technology, Shenzhen Bode Electronics Technology, Shenzhen Saitemei Security Electronics, etc. (Incomplete statistics, welcome to add)

In 2014, after experiencing a severe decline in smartphone sales, Samsung began to pay more attention to the design and production of electronic components.

After years of persistence, Samsung's sensors have "borne fruit" in terms of both technical level and market share. Samsung is also eyeing the market share of Sony, the leader. In 2015, Sony's CMOS was out of stock, which gave Samsung an opportunity to snatch many Chinese customers.

In January, Samsung released the smallest CMOS image sensor available today, specifically for full-screen phones. Samsung said that this 5.1mm sensor can be used for phones with screen holes or notches, and can be used as a front-facing or rear-mounted telephoto camera for mid-range phones.

Compared with the previous 1/3-inch, 20-megapixel CMOS, the module height has been reduced by 7%; compared with the 13-megapixel CMOS of the same height, the digital zoom capability of 3T2 has been improved by 60%.

Samsung is expected to start mass production in the first quarter of this year, and it is expected to be adopted by Samsung's mid-range phones and domestic mobile phones represented by Meizu and Xiaomi in the future.

Samsung Electronics' authorized distributors in Greater China include: Shenzhen Shengbang Electronics, Shenzhen Wanruier, Aishide, Kunshan Jinteng Trading Co., Ltd., Chengdu Xinnuo Communication Technology, Shenzhen Kehuite Electronics, etc. (Incomplete statistics, welcome to add)

OmniVision (OV for short) is an American semiconductor company founded in 1995, specializing in the development of highly integrated CMOS imaging technology. The company is proficient in microprocessors, microcontrollers, special function logic, and has rich experience in analog circuits, digital/analog hybrid and circuit design. It has long been committed to designing and providing solutions based on CMOS imaging chips for microelectronic imaging applications.

The company is the earliest and largest manufacturer to enter the CMOS sensor application in camera phones. When camera phones first began to be used in 2003, CCD technology was exclusively supplied by Japanese suppliers, while CMOS technology was mainly supplied by European and American manufacturers. Among them, OV's products were the most influential. One-third of the world's mobile phone cameras use OV. Before 2011, OV was undoubtedly the leader in the image sensor market.

OmniVision Technologies has carried out a lot of forward-looking research and development over the years, such as image display in extreme lighting environments such as strong light or starlight at night.

OmniVision's authorized distributors in Greater China include Puhua Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Qisai Electronics, etc.

"To be the creator of modern image sensors." This slogan proposed by ON Semiconductor is not just empty talk. To achieve its current status, ON Semiconductor has completed three mergers and acquisitions.

In February 2011, ON Semiconductor completed the acquisition of Cypress's CMOS image sensor business unit for US$31.4 million.

In April 2014, ON Semiconductor acquired image sensor equipment manufacturer TRUESENSE Imaging for US$95 million in cash.

In August 2014, ON Semiconductor signed a $400 million acquisition of Aptina Imaging, a leading supplier of high-performance CMOS image sensors for the automotive and industrial markets.

The acquisition of Aptina significantly expanded ON Semiconductor's image sensor business and established the company's leadership in the fast-growing image sensor market for the automotive and industrial semiconductor markets.

ON Semiconductor has more than 40 years of experience in the imaging field and offers the largest product portfolio in the industry. It is also actively developing ecosystems and customer solutions, especially providing a lot of localization work for the Chinese market.

In addition to CMOS cameras, ON Semiconductor has also been innovating in the CCD market. ON Semiconductor believes: "In most high-definition industrial applications, CCD is still the most suitable solution. Having both CCD and CMOS product lines is also what sets ON Semiconductor apart from its industry competitors."

Canon's CMOS sensors have actually always been controversial, and their update speed is far slower than that of Sony.

Seeing that the camera market has continued to shrink in recent years, Canon is looking for more ways beyond cameras, hoping to expand its photosensitive element technology to other markets, including driverless cars, robots, industrial machinery, etc.

As early as 2014, Sony developed a curved CMOS sensor. After the camera adopts this sensor, the distance between the light and each point on the curved surface is the same after refraction. The lens does not need to use additional lenses to correct the image field and the incident angle of light, and the lens size can be more compact.

In recent years, China's CMOS image sensor industry has actively planned breakthroughs and established a number of CMOS image sensor design companies and IDM companies. With the implementation of various innovative applications, China's CMOS image sensor ecosystem will become increasingly powerful.

Ruixin Microelectronics Co., Ltd. is a high-tech company that develops and sells image sensor chips. Founded in 2008, it is committed to the research and development of a number of pixel designs, circuit designs, and image and processing technology applications. Its main products include a series of area array and line array CMOS image sensors.

The MCCD technology invented by Ruixin is a major innovation in image sensor technology. It combines the advantages of CCD and CMOS and increases the photosensitivity exponentially.

The products provided by Ruixinwei have extremely high cost-effectiveness. The application areas include video surveillance, human-computer interaction, industrial monitoring and other professional application areas. The products include a series of area array and line array CMOS image sensors, and provide customized CMOS image sensors and a variety of IC custom design services.

SmartSens takes security applications as its market entry point, with higher sensitivity, higher signal-to-noise ratio, higher sensitivity, and better low-light performance as its core requirements, and has made layouts in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent perception, and machine vision.

SmartSens is the first to apply backside illumination (BSI) technology to global shutter CMOS image sensors, clearly capturing high-speed moving objects while providing a superior high-sensitivity experience.

Founded in 2003, GalaxyCore Microelectronics Co., Ltd. is China's leading fabless image sensor design company that has set its sights on the global mobile device and consumer electronics markets.

It designs, develops and sells cost-effective, high-quality CMOS image sensor devices that capture optical images and convert them into digital image output signals. Its image sensors are mainly used in mobile devices such as feature phones, smartphones and tablet computers. GalaxyCore also designs, develops and sells LCD driver chips that drive LCD panels to display image data on the screen.

GalaxyCore's CMOS image sensors have the characteristics of low cost and high quality. Its image sensors are mainly used in mobile devices such as feature phones, smartphones and tablet computers.

SuperPix Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd., a high-tech enterprise founded by returned overseas students in Zhongguancun Science Park in 2004, specializes in the research, development and sales of CMOS image sensors and image processing chips.

Its core technologies are "SuperPix" and "Superlmage" with independent intellectual property rights. The successfully developed 12-megapixel high-performance image sensor chip is the first domestically produced chip to break through the 10 million-pixel mark, representing China's highest level in this field.

Shenzhen BYD Microelectronics Co., Ltd. is an independent subsidiary of BYD Group. Since 2003, it has been committed to the development of integrated circuits and power devices, and provides a complete set of solutions for product applications.

In terms of CMOS image sensors, BYD's monthly shipments of consumer CMOS image sensors reach 20KK, and it has 114 domestic and foreign inventions and patents; while the average monthly shipments of security CMOS image sensors reach 2KK/M, which are mainly used in security surveillance cameras, IPCs, vehicle-mounted cameras and environmental monitoring systems.

In addition, in terms of CMOS image sensor foundries, Huali Microelectronics (HLMC) benefited from the production transfer of OmniVision Technologies and TPSCo. SK Hynix is ​​clearly stuck in the dilemma of "prioritizing DRAM rather than CMOS image sensors". SMIC is in a transition period and must invest in next-generation technology to catch up with the leaders.

Conclusion

At present, there is still a certain gap between domestic CMOS sensor manufacturers and foreign manufacturers, which requires both strong capital and a larger scale. However, some leading domestic CMOS sensor manufacturers, relying on their own core technologies, are gradually expanding their market share and penetrating into the mid-to-high-end market.

Produced by Global IoT Observer

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