Sony to Release Six Types of Stacked CMOS Image Sensors

Sony announced the release of six new types of stacked CMOS image sensors with a global shutter function achieved using a back-illuminated pixel structure for industrial equipment applications.

These new sensors will be both compact and capable of high imaging performance without distortion of moving objects. They will employ Sony’s Pregius S, stacked CMOS image sensor technology, which comes with global shutter functionality made possible by Sony’s proprietary back-illuminated pixel structure, first announced in March 2019.

As automation and labor-saving measures are increasingly implemented in factories and logistics, machine vision cameras play an increasingly important role. New image sensors target these applications, delivering compactness and high imaging performance, with higher precision and speed in recognition and measurement, thereby contributing to improved productivity and the "smartification" of industrial equipment.

These new products achieve both compactness and high definition, plus distortion-free images of moving objects due to their stacked structures with the global shutter function made possible by the back-illuminated pixel structure. Sensitivity and saturation characteristics are maintained while achieving a size of only 2.74µm square, which is about 63% of conventional image sensors.

This allows for a resolution that is approximately 1.7 times higher than current standards for an optical system of the same size, with a package size reduced to about 91% of conventional image sensors. This makes it possible to achieve a compact, 1.2-type high-resolution C-mount machine vision camera with 24.45 effective megapixels, enabling flexible installation in equipment and production lines.