September 6, 2006 – Dongbu Electronics said it has completed development of a CMOS image sensor process using 0.13-micron process technologies, created for Seoul Electronics & Telecom Co. Ltd. The foundry plans to begin volume production of the devices in 4Q.
The new process enables devices with 1.3megapixel resolution and low 1.5V operating voltage, and incorporates proprietary technology to virtually eliminate “dark current” resulting in enhanced resolution, gray scale and relative illumination, the company said. Target applications include mobile handsets, digital cameras, and camcorders, and other applications such as automobile sensors and displays for bioengineering and robotic medicine.
“We recognized early the huge market potential for CIS devices and how little technological development was taking place to improve CIS processing and imaging,” stated Jae Song, Dongbu’s EVP of strategic business development, noting that the company has acquired 20 patents globally regarding CMOS image sensors since establishing its CIS development team about four years ago.