Smaller Chips See Larger Markets

New complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology from Philips Semiconductor of Eindhoven, the Netherlands, is under development for low-cost video imaging applications. The company says its proprietary SeeMOS technology enables the production of chip-based cameras that are only a centimeter long and thinner than a pencil.

SeeMOS uses a 640 x 480-pixel array, with a Bayer filter to produce full-color images. Individual focusing lenses for each pixel maximize the sensitivity of the device. The technology operates at 3.3 V, making it suitable for battery-operated videoconferencing applications for mobile phones and laptop computers, as well as for security solutions and image recognition systems.