Mar 16 2010
The recently released MEMS: CMOS Image Sensors Technologies & Markets - 2010 Report by Research and Markets has highlighted the way disruptive technologies will affect the future of the digital imaging industry.
Research and Markets is releasing its first report related to CMOS image sensor industry since the maturing, young industry is at a turning point in history.
Major topics that have been covered in the extensive report include scope, objectives and
executive summary. The executive summary comprises background and introduction, market forecasts and supply chain, application focus, novel design and front-end technology development, packaging, assembly, and test technologies for camera modules, BSI ‘backside illumination’ technology development, WLC wafer-level camera technology development, and optical zoom, autofocus and image stabilization technologies.
Ever since the inception of CCD sensors during the 1990s, image sensors have traversed a long path. Image sensors achieved a major boost during the 2000s with the emergence of CMOS sensor technology that has resulted in the generation of the high-volume, low-priced market for camera phones.
Currently image sensors form a part of our daily life. The use of image sensors ranges from security and surveillance systems to video recorders, and webcams, notebooks, digital cameras to mobile phone cameras. New sensor markets are emerging for home TV webcams, gaming, automotive safety features, and medical applications.
Beyond 2010 into the next decade high and low end imaging markets will start converging. For instance, digital cameras are already in the process of incorporating HD video camcorder features. In the meantime, camera mobile phones having auto-focus feature are acquiring features of digital cameras as well as elementary video recording functionality. Crucial enabling technologies will develop as high and low end imaging markets converge resulting in the growth of the digital imaging industry in the future.
With the build-up of the 300mm infrastructure in Asia and the availability of the BSI CMOS technology, there would be an expansion of the CMOS sensor technology. At this juncture, the CMOS sensor technology will also benefit by leveraging the remaining CCD application domain. The high-end camera phone market will witness the emergence of novel concepts of camera modules. These concepts include image stabilization, zoom, and auto-focus features that will be developed and launched in the market. On the other hand, the highly competitive low-end market will witness a race for wafer-level cameras as well as digital autofocus features like extended depth of focus (eDoF). eDoF will empower the remaining relatively fewer image sensor vendors to maintain their margins even in the cost-driven aggressive market.
The CIS markets like automotive and medical sensor applications will extensively reutilize all such novel concepts, namely, digital zoom, WLCamera, and BSI. This market will also need to develop new features like NIR capability and High Dynamic Range.
The main objectives of this report are to provide CMOS image sensor key market metrics & dynamics data, to give important technical insight regarding future trends in technology, and to impart an in-depth understanding of the CIS value infrastructure, chain, and players.
This report will be useful for CMOS image sensor manufacturers, CMOS & Packaging Foundries, Assembly & Test Service companies, Equipment & Material manufacturers, Electronic module makers & Original Equipment Makers, and Financial & Strategic investors.