CMOS sensor further expands market share BSI technology boosts CMOS

CMOS is an important chip in computer systems, and it saves the most basic data for system guidance. Today's CMOS image conversion technology not only serves the "traditional" industrial image processing, but is also accepted by the increasingly wide range of novel consumer applications with its superior performance and flexibility. CMOS sensors have become an integral part of digital cameras such as cell phone cameras, and CCD sensors will gradually withdraw from the stage of history.

Last year, shipments of CMOS sensors were approximately 2.1 billion, an increase of 31% from the 1.6 billion in 2010, and accounted for 92% of the total area image sensors. The remaining 8% of the market is CCD sensors, and its shipments in 2011 fell by 2%, from 184.5 million in 2010 to 180.3 million. In 2010, CMOS's market share was 90%, and CCD accounted for 10%.

The decline of CCD sensors is difficult to recover, and CMOS will maintain its dominant position in the next few years. By 2015, CMOS shipments will reach 3.6 billion, with a share of 97%; while CCD shipments will drop to only 95.2 million, accounting for 3% of the share, as shown in the figure.

For a long time, CMOS chips have been mainly used for manufacturing cost, high efficiency and faster data transmission. This helps it to be more widely used in more and more products and applications. The higher-cost CCD applications are shrinking, or CMOS is used instead.

The mobile phone is still the largest application area of ​​CMOS sensors, accounting for 79% of the total CMOS shipments in 2011. Calculated in terms of shipments, video conferencing is the second largest market for CMOS applications. Laptops are generally equipped with cameras. The application of CMOS sensors in two growth markets has also been on the rise: security, mainly network video surveillance systems; automotive systems, mainly used for rear view camera, and lane departure warning, blind spot detection and infrared night vision applications.

In contrast, CCDs are used in industrial markets and digital cameras. But even in these areas, the use of CCDs is decreasing. For example, in the field of high-end digital SLR cameras, the proportion of CCD used in 2014 will fall from 12% in 2011 to only 1%. IHS believes that as the overall camera market weakens and consumers favor smart phones, the overall CCD consumption will further decline.

BSI technology helps CMOS; use in the iPhone accelerates growth Backside illumination (BSI) technology is a breakthrough in camera technology that gives CMOS the advantage over CCD. BSI is used in high-end compact cameras, Apple iPhone 4S and various Android phones to help eliminate the noise problems of early front-illuminated (FSI) CMOS sensors and to achieve better picture quality in low light conditions.

BSI technology is welcomed by higher-end products. For these products, paying extra costs for image sensors is not a big problem, such as the iPhone 4 currently on the market and many Android products. Although BSI costs about 20% higher than FSI in 2011, BSI sensors with excellent performance will continue to expand their applications in the mobile phone field. With the declining prices of BSI, it is expected that 56% of smart phones and high-end feature phones will adopt BSI sensors in 2012, and this proportion will increase to 92% by 2015.