Sony plans new camera phone CMOS fab
By
Mike Tomkins
(Thursday, December 23, 2004 - 08:18 EST)
A news article linked to by our friends at the Digital Photography Review website suggests that Sony is taking the market for CMOS image sensors used in camera phones very seriously.
Sony already dominates the market for CCD imagers, producing a large portion of the chips used in digital cameras from a wide range of manufacturers - particularly at the higher end of the market. According to an Asia Times article, the company is now planning to invest some ¥50 billion in a new facility to be located in the Kumamoto Technology Center where it will manufacture CMOS imagers to be used in camera phones.
We'd remind readers that the CMOS sensors found in camera phones are quite different from those suitable for use in high-end prosumer cameras, however. This hence shouldn't be seen as a move away from CCD by Sony, as much as a move to grab a large share of another image sensor market which is quickly growing in parallel with the traditional digital camera market.
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