Samsung breaks new ground with series production of industry’s smallest 0.64m mobile image sensor – Samsung Global Newsroom

Samsung’s most versatile image sensor offers 50 MP options for front and rear cameras

Combined pixel technology advancements reduce chip size while improving light sensitivity and phase detection capabilities

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced the industry’s first 0.64 micrometer (μm) image sensor, the 50 megapixel (Mp) Samsung ISOCELL JN1. Equipped with the latest pixel technologies such as enhanced ISOCELL 2.0, Smart-ISO and Double Super PDAF, the JN1 can capture more vivid images on the industry’s smallest 50Mp mobile sensor.

“Samsung’s advanced pixel technologies have once again pushed the limits with the utmost precision to develop an image sensor with the smallest pixel size in the industry, but with powerful performance. The new 0.64m ISOCELL JN1 will be able to equip tomorrow’s most stylish smartphones with ultra-high resolution mobile photographs, ”said Duckhyun Chang, executive vice president of the sensors business at Samsung Electronics. “As we continue our commitment to innovation in pixel technologies, we will continue to bring to market a wide range of mobile image sensor offerings. “

A new addition to Samsung’s range of high-resolution image sensors, the JN1 uses ISOCELL 2.0 technology with further enhancements that improve light sensitivity by approximately 16%. For low-light environments, the sensor uses Samsung’s four-to-one pixel clustering technology, Tetrapixel, which merges four adjacent 0.64m pixels into one large 1.28m pixel to quadruple light sensitivity. for brighter 12.5 MP photographs.

With such advanced technologies, all integrated into a small 1 / 2.76-inch optical form factor, the ISOCELL JN1 is Samsung’s most versatile image sensor to date. Thanks to close collaboration with ecosystem partners, the JN1 is compatible with existing 1 / 2.8-inch products, allowing the sensor to be used for front, ultra-wide or telephoto cameras, in addition to standard wide camera options. This means that users can take highly detailed selfies or group photos in incredible 50Mp resolution, as well as high resolution videos up to 4K and high zoom rates. The smaller sensor can also reduce the height of the camera module by around 10%, minimizing camera bulge for thinner, more streamlined designs in next-gen smartphones.

For improved dynamic range, the ISOCELL JN1 comes with Smart-ISO, a technology that changes the conversion gain depending on the lighting level of the environment. Smart-ISO uses low ISO mode in bright settings to retain details in highlights, and high ISO mode in low-light environments to reduce read noise and deliver excellent low-light performance. Using Smart-ISO, the JN1 also offers inter-scene HDR in mixed light settings for optimal exposure levels derived from two separate readings, from low and high ISOs, which are merged to create a final image. .

For faster autofocus, the ISOCELL JN1 incorporates the improved Double Super PD. Previous Super PD technology used specially designed oval microlenses on two adjacent pixels arranged side by side to detect phases. The Double Super PD features a pixel density (1/16) used for phase detection that is twice that of the Super PD (1/32), allowing the same autofocus performance even in environments with around 60 % less light levels. For crystal-clear video, the image sensor supports video recording in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second (fps) or Full HD at 240fps.

The Samsung ISOCELL JN1 is currently in mass production.

* Editor’s Note: Actual performance may vary depending on device and user environment.

* Samsung first announced its ISOCELL technology in 2013, which reduces color crosstalk between pixels by placing a physical barrier, allowing small pixels to achieve greater color fidelity. Based on this technology, Samsung introduced the industry’s first 1.0 um-pixel image sensor in 2015 and a 0.9 pixel sensor in 2017. Samsung continues to improve its isolation methods pixels with ISOCELL Plus and ISOCELL 2.0 technologies.