Industry's First 200MP Telephoto Mobile Image Sensor 'ISOCELL HP9'
Dual Pixel 'ISOCELL GNJ'
'ISOCELL JN5' Delivering Consistent Camera Experience Across All Focal Lengths
Optimal Solutions from Main to Sub Cameras
Samsung Electronics is leading the smartphone camera market trend by unveiling three flagship image sensors. Samsung plans to provide a consistent user experience regardless of the camera angle through three advanced image sensors that can be variously applied to the main and sub cameras of smartphones.
First, the 'ISOCELL HP9' is a telephoto image sensor product that implements 200 million pixels of 0.56μm (micrometer) size in a 1/1.4" optical format. Samsung Electronics improved the light-gathering ability by utilizing a high-refractive micro lens independently developed with new materials, delivering light information corresponding to each color filter more accurately. This enables clearer color expression with about 12% improved sensitivity (SNR 10) and about 10% enhanced 'autofocus separation ratio' performance compared to its predecessor.
In particular, the 'ISOCELL HP9' improves the sensitivity of telephoto cameras, which are relatively weak in low-light environments, and applies the 'Tetra Squared Pixel' technology that groups 16 adjacent pixels (4x4) to provide not only enhanced low-light sensitivity in 12Mp big pixel (2.24μm) portrait mode but also a dramatic bokeh effect for out-of-focus backgrounds. It is expected to offer clearer image quality at all zoom levels when used as a telephoto camera.
The 'ISOCELL GNJ' is a 'Dual Pixel' product that implements 50 million 1.0μm pixels in a 1/1.57" optical format. 'Dual Pixel' technology equips every pixel with two photodiodes, allowing simultaneous focusing and color information reception, enabling fast and accurate autofocus without image quality degradation. Additionally, when the sensor operates in zoom mode, it provides clearer image quality in video mode and sharp resolution without afterimages or moir? effects in image capture mode. Power consumption has improved by about 29% in preview mode and about 34% in 4K 60fps video mode compared to the previous generation.
The 'ISOCELL GNJ' also applies Samsung's newly developed 'high-transmittance ARL' material along with the high-refractive micro lens to deliver clear image quality even in dark areas. Furthermore, the pixel-to-pixel isolation DTI material was changed from polysilicon to oxide, reducing light loss and pixel interference, resulting in clearer images.
Lastly, the 'ISOCELL JN5' is a product that implements 50 million 0.64μm pixels in a 1/2.76" optical format. It introduces 'Dual VTG' technology to enhance the charge transfer capability of light converted in the pixel and significantly improve noise characteristics in extremely low light, delivering clearer image quality even in dark environments. It also applies 'Super QPD' technology, a phase detection autofocus technology that uses phase differences both horizontally and vertically, enabling shake-free capture of small details of fast-moving subjects.
The 'ISOCELL JN5' also features enhanced HDR functionality with 'Dual Slope Gain' technology. This technology amplifies the analog information of light entering the pixel into two different signals, converts them into digital signals, and synthesizes them into one data set, expanding the range of colors the sensor can express. Additionally, a hardware remosaic algorithm is applied to improve camera shooting speed, and real-time zoom operation is possible in both preview and capture modes.
Lee Jae-seok, Vice President of the Sensor Business Team at Samsung Electronics' System LSI Business Division, said, "Not only advancing the performance of traditional image sensors but also reducing the gap between main and sub cameras to provide a consistent shooting experience across all angles has become the new direction in the industry. Samsung Electronics will lead industry standards with a new lineup of mobile image sensors packed with the latest technologies and continue to develop sensor innovation technologies to break through limitations."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
