Toshiba to produce CMOS camera modules in-house

TOKYO, JAPAN: Toshiba Corp. announced that it will reinforce its competitiveness in the CMOS image sensor business by bringing in-house the currently outsourced production of CMOS camera modules. Mass production of new products will start at Iwate Toshiba Electronics, a Toshiba Group company, from January 2008.

Manufacturing will start with the latest addition to Toshiba's Dynastron series of CMOS image sensors, an ultra small CSCM (chip scale camera module) that will be the first camera module manufactured with TCV (Through Chip Via) technology. The modules was demonstrated at CEATEC JAPAN 2007 from October 2, at Makuhari Messe, at Toshiba's booth, at 8C12.As mobile consumer products with cameras, particularly mobile phones, become increasingly compact, demand is growing for ultra small CMOS camera modules with high image quality.

"In order to meet demand, we will refine our business model by bringing our manufacturing of CMOS camera modules into the Group," said Yoshio Ooida, the executive vice president of Toshiba's Semiconductor Company. "We plan to gradually increase the in-house manufacturing ratio of CSCM products. Integrating manufacturing of image sensors at Oita Operations with camera module at Iwate Toshiba Electronics will allow us to reinforce cost-competitiveness in CMOS image sensor business and to put in place optimized supply chain management. We will also further develop the business by increasing sensor manufacturing capacity at Oita Operations."

The new CSCM micro-camera modules will be the first produced with TCV technology, which reduces wire bonding a substrate area by mounting components directly on the wafer and running electrodes through the vias on the circuit board, securing them with balls of solders on the substrate. The new product also reduces pixel size, contributing to a module size up to 64 percent smaller than camera modules manufactured with the same sensors.

The application of balls of solder and heat resistant lenses that are not affected by reflow significantly reduces the process for camera mounting to the circuit boards of mobile consumer products manufacturers.