Sony ramps up smartphone CMOS sensor production
Worldwide, sales of smartphones are soaring, and that means an increasing demand for the tiny image sensors that form the heart of the multiple cameras found in a typical smartphone. Responding to that demand, Sony Corp. has today announced plans to invest another 80 billion yen (close to US$1 billion) in a semiconductor facility in Fukuoka, Japan.
The new cash injection follows hot on the heels of last year’s 100 billion yen investment in the same facility, which was used to double its CMOS image sensor production. In part, the additional funding announced today will allow Sony Semiconductor Corp.’s Nagasaki Technology Center to procure wafer processing equipment for production of stacked CMOS image sensors, more commonly known as backside-illuminated sensors. These place the supporting circuitry for each pixel location on a separate layer beneath the pixel, rather than alongside it, allowing a greater area of the sensor surface to be devoted to light gathering. The company also intends to invest in converting existing equipment at the facility for use in CMOS sensor manufacturing, as well as increasing its wafer output.
Around 45 billion yen will be invested in the Nagasaki Technology Center during the current fiscal year ending March 2013, and the remainder by the end of September 2013. At this point, Sony’s total production of CCD and CMOS image sensors would be around 60,000 wafers per month. More details in the press release below…