Biomorphic VLSI Introduces New Line of Color Image Sensors for Digital Camera Applications.Business Editors WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2000 Biomorphic VLSI VLSI: see integrated circuit. (1) (Very Large Scale Integration) Between 100,000 and one million transistors on a chip. See SSI, MSI, LSI and ULSI. (2) (VLSI Technology, Inc., Tempe, AZ, www.semiconductors. has announced a new line of Color Image Sensors designed for use in a broad range of still and video digital cameras. The first device now available is the Bi8602. With 300K-pixel resolution, it is a 1/3-inch progressive-scanning sensor designed for standard still and dual-mode digital camera applications. It offers high sensitivity, a high dynamic range, low fixed-pattern noise (FPN FPN Fixed Pattern Noise (variation of the pixel response at one moment of an image sensor in the dark) FPN Fixed Penalty Notice (UK law enforcement) FPN Fundación Patagonia Natural FPN Fine Print Note ), and low dark current -- while achieving high color fidelity through the use of R, G, B primary color mosaic filters. This new single-chip CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. device integrates correlated double sampling (CDS), 10-bit A/D conversion, timing and scanning circuits, programmable gain, windowing and exposure control. Packing all these features into a single chip greatly reduces system device count and application complexity, making it an optimized device for a wide variety of digital camera OEMs. According to Dr. Bimal Mathur, Biomorphic VLSI president, the new 10-bit 300K-pixel Bi8602 Color Image Sensor is just the first in the company's Y2000 Series. The Series will also include three additional devices: (1) the Bi6612 8-bit 1/5-inch digital CIF (1) (Common Intermediate Format) A standard video format used in videoconferencing. CIF formats are defined by their resolution, and standards both above and below the original resolution have been established. The original CIF is also known as Full CIF (FCIF). , (2) the Bi8802 10-bit digital 800K-pixel XGA (EXtended Graphics Array) A screen resolution of 1,024x768 pixels. The term stems from IBM's XGA display standard introduced in 1990, which extended VGA to 132-column text and interlaced 1,024x768x256 resolution. XGA-2 later added non-interlaced 1,024x768x64K. , and (3) the Bi8801 10-bit digital megapixel device. This new family of Biomorphic Color Image Sensors is designed to cover the color sensor chip requirements of a broad segment of the still and video camera OEMs. Typical applications include: Dual-mode Digital Cameras, Videoconferencing Cameras, Digital Still Cameras, and Industrial/Security Cameras. All the devices in the line will be packaged in 48-pin PLCC (Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier) A plastic, square, surface mount chip package that contains leads on all four sides. The leads (pins) extend down and back under and into tiny indentations in the housing. See chip package. or CLCC (Ceramic Leadless Chip Carrier) A square, ceramic chip package that uses metal pads for contact and comes in both socket mount and surface mount varieties. See chip package. , except for the Bi6612 which will be in a 36-pin LCC. Priced at $14.95 for a quantity of 1,000, the Bi8602 is available now -- factory-direct -- in engineering samples and production quantities. The follow-on devices will be announced throughout the year. Biomorphic VLSI is an independent new fabless semiconductor company A fabless semiconductor company specializes in the design and sale of hardware devices implemented on semiconductor chips. It achieves an advantage by outsourcing the fabrication of the devices to a specialized semiconductor manufacturer called a semiconductor foundry or "fab. founded in 1997 with a close affiliation with the Taiwanese company, Macronix International, and with partnership access to its worldwide marketing organization. It has also recently established a branch office in Taiwan to handle production logistics. Biomorphic Corporate Headquarters -- including R&D, design and engineering, and marketing and administrative offices -- is located at 4165 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite No. 180, Westlake Village, Calif., 91362; telephone: 805/497-9055; fax: 805/497-9725; www.biomorphic.com. |
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