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Growing Demand for Camera-Enabled Mobile Phones Drives Global CMOS Image Sensor Market

Reviewed

May 28 2014

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global CMOS Image Sensor Market 2014-2018" report to their offering.

The Global CMOS Image Sensor market will grow at a CAGR of 10% over the period 2013-2018.

Image sensors are devices used for the conversion of an image into an electronic signal. Image sensing technology is used in cameras, camcorders, and all types of imaging devices. Before the digital era, analog image sensors functioned with video camera tubes.

The increasing demand for high-performance, low power consumption, and compact electronic devices is leading to the miniaturization of semiconductors devices. Vendors are required to reduce the size and improve the resolution of CMOS image sensors deployed in electronic devices. However, reducing the pixel pitch of a CMOS image sensor reduces the incident light, which leads to lower light sensitivity. With the introduction of BSI technology, it is possible to reduce the pixel size without affecting the amount of light captured, enabling superior image and high-resolution on a smaller chip. It is expected that BSI technology will be widely adopted in numerous applications requiring high performance, small pixels, and small footprint.

The growth of the Global CMOS Image Sensor market is driven by several factors, one such major driver being the growing demand for camera-enabled mobile phones. Cameras have become one of the vital marketing USP for handset manufacturers as consumers' cellphone purchasing decisions depend on the type of camera. Mobile phone vendors are frequently upgrading technology and launching advanced cameras in cellphones to increase their profit margin.

Further, the report states that the cyclical nature of the Semiconductor industry is one of the major challenges, as CMOS image sensor manufacturers depend on OEMs, which depend on end-user demand. Any end-user demand fluctuation can lead to an increasing inventory level because there is less demand but huge production, which indirectly affects the CMOS image sensor manufacturers.

These tubes have been replaced by digital technologies such as CCD and CMOS image sensors. A CMOS image sensor operates on two technologies: