November 3, 2005 – Wafer foundry Tower Semiconductor has begun manufacturing 2.0 and 1.3-megapixel CMOS system on a chip (SoC) image sensors for Biomorphic Microsystems Corp., reported the Israel Business Arena.
Biomorphic, a subsidiary of Macronix International Co. Ltd., is a fabless complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor design house, supplying imaging solutions to the cell phone and PDA markets.
Biomorphic’s Bi8910T 1.3-megapixel and Bi8921T 2.0-megapixel SoC image sensors are being produced using a 0.18-micron process at Tower’s Fab2. Production utilizes Tower’s pixel IP optically-optimized multilayer metallization (OptiMuM).
Tower general manager of CIS and NVM product lineAvi Strum said, “Biomorphic’s swift penetration to a tier one cell phone maker with these new products is the best testimony for the success of our joint work.”
Japanese market research firm Techno Systems Research estimates the 2006 total market for 2.0-megapixel CMOS modules to be 65 million units, while the 1.3-megapixel market is estimated at 190 million units.