Mar 25 2010
Reportlinker.com has announced its new market research report titled ‘Global and China CMOS Camera Module Industry Report, 2009-2010.’
Topics covered in the report include trends and status quo of CMOS camera module, downstream market of CMOS camera modules, industrial patterns, lenses for CMOS cameras, and camera module assembly.
Besides these topics, the report also highlights selected charts including Global CMOS Camera Module Shipment by Application, 2007-2013, TSV-type CMOS Image Sensor Wafer Shipment, 2006-2012, Market Shares of CMOS Image Sensor Manufacturers in the World (by Shipment), 2009, Market Shares of CMOS Image Sensor Manufacturers in the World (by Revenue), 2009, Market Shares of Cell Phone Camera Module Lens (1-3 megapixel) Manufacturers, 2009, and many more.
The mobile phone camera module is characterized by a complex industrial chain with three cores, namely, optical lens, CMOS image sensors, and factories assembling modules. Increasing number of pixels in cameras of mobile phones has resulted in increasingly important roles for packaging manufacturers, whereas factories assembling modules are on the decline. Manufacturers of CMOS image sensors will be able to integrate optical components and also adopt special packaging techniques for delivering products directly to mobile phone manufacturers. CMOS image manufacturers will also be in a position to deliver these products, once professional packaging companies complete the packaging, to factories that assemble modules. In addition, CMOS image sensor manufacturers also have the option to deliver their products as uncut wafers to manufacturers of COB modules. In addition, some of the optical component makers also can assemble COM modules.
There are three categories of CMOS image sensor manufacturers. They are associated firms of wafer giants, customary manufacturers of digital cameras, and large IDM companies. The largest wafer foundry in the world is closely associated with Omnivision. They are participating in two joint ventures. Aptina was once the major memory vendor MICRON’s subsidiary. But now MICRON is Aptina’s wafer OEM.
SETI is an affiliated firm of Dongbu Anamy, while STMICRO, Toshiba, and Samsung are affiliated with IDM. Traditional manufacturers of digital cameras like Canon, Kodak, Sony, Sharp, and Fuji manufacture high-priced, high-performance CMOS image sensors in small volumes. Manufacturing of CMOS image sensors at reduced costs can only be guaranteed by wafer fabs. The business related to CMOS image sensors can be adopted by wafer fabs for supplementing production capacities of their 8-inch wafer fabs. A company that focuses only on IC design will not have competitive ability.
Lens forms part of the optical components field that requires lots of manufacturing process related experience. Entry into the lens manufacturing domain is difficult, though it promises a large gross margin of profit. Most big manufacturers of electronics products are attempting to enter the lens field through the vertical supply chain, an attempt that is quite difficult in the optical domain. In addition, optical manufacturers rely on human resources and are not willing to be acquired by major electronics manufacturers.
FUJINON, a subject of Fuji Film, has more than 50% share of the 3-megapixel and above cell phone market. Konica Minolta’s optical component division is KMOT that is an established optics manufacturer focusing on high-end products. For technology Japanese manufacturers are supporting Asia Optical and Largan. Notably, Asia Optical has received technological guidance from Japanese companies Sony, Sekon, Rikoh, Olympus, and Nikon, or is collaborating in joint ventures with these Japanese companies. Largab has a close association with manufacturers of smart cameras, namely, smart phone majors RIM, Apple, and HTC all of whom are loyal clients of Largan. Japanese manufacturers are Hotachi Maxell, KANKATSU and TAMRON, the last two are manufacturers of traditional camera lens.