Mar 12 2015
Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)*, a committed leader that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, today announced its newest 13-megapixel (MP) back-side illuminated (BSI) CMOS image sensor targeting smartphones and tablets. The T4KB3 is the world's smallest 13MP sensor1, and it reduces power consumption to 53 percent that of Toshiba's current 13MP sensor2, achieving 200 milliwatt (mW) output or less at 30 frames per second (fps).
Toshiba T4KB3 13-megapixel CMOS image sensor allows smartphone and tablet makers to develop smaller, thinner camera modules that consume less power while achieving high-quality capture and playback of video and still images.
Toshiba achieved these significant improvements over the previous-generation device by using a new design methodology to engineer the T4KB3. This approach was developed to meet mobile product makers' continually increasing demand on chipmakers to produce CMOS sensors that can accommodate smaller form factors in tablets and smartphones. The new sensor also deploys Bright Mode technology, which helps prevent underexposed images in high-speed video recording by boosting image brightness up to 4x while realizing full-HD (1080p) video capture at 120fps equivalent.
"Toshiba listened to, and worked closely with, customers to develop this latest breakthrough in CMOS image sensor design," said Andrew Burt, vice president of the Image Sensor Business Unit, System LSI Group at TAEC. "Our new T4KB3 sensor was created to allow development of smaller, thinner camera modules that operate at low power while delivering the highest quality capture and playback of both still and video images – all capabilities that consumers want and will appreciate."
The T4KB3 has an optical size of 1/3.07 inch, 1.12-micron BSI pixel pitch, and 8Kbit one-time-programmable memory. The sensor can store lens shading correction data for two different conditions (e.g., indoors and outdoors), which have different light profiles. These conditions can be separately applied to image correction, and users can switch from one to the other with a simple command to achieve the best possible image capture.
Other products in Toshiba's family of 1.12-micron BSI CMOS image sensors include the 8MP T4KA3, introduced in August 2014, and the 20MP T4KA7, launched in September 2014.
Availability
Samples of the T4KB3 CMOS image sensor are available now. Mass production is scheduled to begin next month.
- Toshiba research, as of March 2, 2015.
- Compared with T4K82, introduced February 2014.