OmniVision Introduces Tiny VGA Camera Chip

BARCELONA, Spain /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At the 3GSM World Congress (booth 1G13), OmniVision Technologies Inc., a leading independent supplier of CMOS CameraChip solutions for high-volume imaging applications, unveiled a 1/10 in. VGA CameraChip sensor, the OV7680. The new CMOS image sensor brings to the market a cost-efficient, ultra-thin camera module designed for entry-level camera phones, secondary cameras for 3G handsets, and integrated notebook cameras.

The unique nonlinear micro-lens shift technology featured in the OV7680 permits a reduction in the distance between the sensor and the lens, reducing the height of the camera module to just 3.0 mm without compromising image quality or camera performance. Minimizing the module height is a critical characteristic for slim camera phones and for notebook computers, where the module can be no thicker than the LCD housing.

"With the introduction of our OV7680, we are bringing the concept of thin to the entry-level handset market," said Jess Lee, Vice President of Mainstream Products at OmniVision. "The OV7680 allows for the addition of a camera in virtually every cellular phone."

The OV7680 can operate at 30 frames per second in VGA resolution, with full user control over image quality, formatting, and output data transfer. This makes the OV7680 equally well suited for use as a secondary camera in 3G phones and as notebook cameras, as both are predominantly used for video conference applications.

The OV7680 is a 1/10 in. single-chip, high-performance VGA CameraChip sensor, using a 2.2-micron pixel size, built on OmniPixel2 technology for maximum sensitivity and excellent low-light performance. The new VGA image sensor delivers low noise, low cost, low power consumption, and a wide dynamic range, and it enables a module size of just 4.5 by 4.5 by 3.0 mm, dimensions that allow for a single-element plastic lens design.

The OV7680 comes in a CSP2 package and is currently available for sampling.

About OmniVision
OmniVision Technologies Inc. designs and markets high-performance semiconductor image sensors. Its OmniPixel and CameraChip products are highly integrated single-chip CMOS image sensors for mass-market consumer and commercial applications, such as mobile phones, digital still cameras, security and surveillance systems, interactive video games, PCs, and automotive imaging systems. Additional information is available on the company's Web site.