Photobit Launches World's Fastest Megapixel CMOS Image Sensor; New Chip Serves Machine Vision and Motion Analysis Markets.

PASADENA, Calif--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 1999--

Photobit Corporation, the leading supplier of CMOS image sensors, today announced a megapixel sensor capable of operating at 500 frames per second (fps).

This achievement marks the first time that megapixel resolution has been combined with imaging speeds suitable for complex machine vision and motion analysis. It also makes the new product, named PB-1024, the world's fastest CMOS image sensor in any category. The formal launch is scheduled for June 10-12 at the 1999 IEEE Workshop on Advanced Image Sensors, in Nagano, Japan.

The PB-1024 uses Photobit's CMOS "active-pixel" technology, which has received several patents and is considered a breakthrough in digital imaging. The four key benefits of the technology are: high image quality; lower power consumption than CCD sensors; on-chip integration of camera functions; and the ability to manufacture on the same (CMOS) platforms as virtually all microprocessors and memory chips.

"We're extremely proud of the PB-1024, the latest addition to our line of off-the-shelf digital imaging solutions," said Dr. Sabrina Kemeny, chief executive officer of Photobit.

"This unique chip supports dozens of exciting applications. It will trace the path of a speeding bullet or analyze the steps of a running athlete, or a golf swing. It can show us how a high-speed virus reproduces inside a cell or help with automobile crash tests. And of course it supports manufacturing, with volume visualization, sorting systems, flaw detection, and other advanced types of robotic vision."

The PB-1024 outputs 8-bit progressive-scan digital video in 1024-by-1024 pixel format at 500 frames per second--or about 500 million pixels per second. It also runs at lower frame rates, and its power consumption is low at any speed--100 mW at 60 fps and less than 450 mW at 500 fps. The monochrome PB-1024 is designed with 10-micron-square active-pixel photodiodes and has a 1-inch optical format. Digital responsivity is 500 bits per lux-second. The sensor has Photobit's TrueBit(R) Noise Cancellation feature, which preserves image quality along the signal path, and an architecture that permits access to several internal operations. Frame rate, integration time, the windowing function, and other parameters can be adjusted via a simple digital interface to suit specific applications.

Recent Photobit News

Photobit Corporation, which holds the broad patent for the "CMOS Active-Pixel Sensor Type Imaging System On a Chip," has since fall 1998 launched a progression of off-the-shelf sensors to commercialize this technology. New chips include the CIF-size PB-100 for Internet cameras and video cellular phones, the VGA-format PB-300 for high-end Internet cameras and small-format digital still photography, and the PB-720, the first digital image sensor to conform to the 720 P60 high-definition television standard. In April, Photobit's founders were recognized for their efforts when the U.S. Space Foundation inducted them, together with Photobit's core technology, into the Space Technology Hall of Fame.

CMOS' Advantages Over CCDs

Charge-coupled devices, or CCDs, were the prevailing technology in image capture for thirty (30) years. By the late 1990s, however, they began to be replaced in key applications by CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensors. There were several reasons for the shift. First, CMOS sensors draw much less power than CCDs. This allows end products to run longer on batteries, which is a major advantage in hand-held applications such as personal data assistants (PDAs) and video cell phones. Second, CMOS sensors use the same manufacturing platform as most microprocessors and memory chips, making them easier to produce and more cost-effective. Third, by combining all camera functions on-chip--from the capture of photons to the output of digital bits--CMOS image sensors reduce the part count in end products, which in turn enhances reliability, facilitates miniaturization, and allows on-chip programming of frame size, windowing, exposure, and other camera parameters.

About Photobit Corporation

Photobit is the leading fabless supplier of CMOS image sensors ("cameras-on-a-chip"). These devices are used in Internet cameras, digital still cameras, video cell phones, machine vision, biometrics, broadcast television, hand-held scanners, interactive children's products, lap-top computers, portable business tools, and other applications. Based in Pasadena, California, the firm owns the rights to high-performance image-capture technology invented at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Photobit has further developed this technology to make it viable in the marketplace--resulting in several patent awards and a product line that consistently delivers superior price/performance. Being the industry leader, the company has designed over thirty (30) off-the-shelf and custom CMOS image sensors since its founding in 1995. It has a current staff of 70 and sales offices in 32 countries. Photobit's customers include Eastman Kodak, Eaton, Gentex, Lucent Technologies, and Schick Technologies. The firm also performs U.S. Government research and development. For details, go to www.photobit.com.