Kodak Moves Into CCD Market - To Announce 16.6 and 5.1 Megapixel Imagers

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SAN MATEO, Calif. --Aug 22-- The digital camera market has a new chip vendor with a very old pedigree. Eastman Kodak Co., long a provider of high-end image sensors for its own systems, including charge-coupled devices (CCDs) for Kodak digital cameras, will begin selling the chips on the open merchant market. The move should be welcomed by camera makers faced with a short supply of CCD chips.

Kodak has several new CCD products that will be announced this week. In keeping with a past focus on advanced CCDs for expensive, professional-class digital cameras, the high-end chips are aimed primarily at systems designed for the professional photographer and dedicated hobbyist. They include a family of CMOS image sensors produced in partnership with Motorola Inc., a pair of large-format CCD chips, and an integrated chip with both the CCD functions and most of the drivers and other components needed to design a digital camera motherboard.

Because CCD chips require their own special manufacturing process, Kodak has been collaborating with Motorola on a special breed of digital camera chips based on CMOS manufacturing technology. Kodak is launching three CMOS image sensor chips now, its first using the ImageMOS process jointly developed by the two companies. All are fabbed at Motorola.

The KAC-0310 and the KAC-1310 are less expensive than dedicated CCD products, which makes them appropriate for less expensive digital cameras. The KAC-0310 is available in volume today, while the KAC-1310 will be available by the end of the year. Pricing has not been released.

In contrast, Kodak is also rolling out two large-format CCD products aimed at the professional market, and destined to be used in systems costing several thousands of dollars. With the CCD representing the most expensive item on the bill of materials for a digital camera, The KAF-5100CE features 5.1 million pixels, each measuring 6.8 microns on a side. Both pixel size and density are key in defining the quality of an image. The KAF-16801CE part has 16.6 million pixels upon its large surface, but each is a bit smaller than the pixels on its sister component. Both chips are sampling now.

Finally, Kodak has also created an integrated component, the KAI-1020, that incorporates the CCD as well as the clock driver, the shutter driver and the correlated double-sampling unit, all of which are necessary for a digital camera. "This is the first CCD on the planet that integrates all of these functions," said McNiffe. Samples are available now, starting at in 5,000-unit shipments.

None of these chips is targeting high-volume consumer applications. Kodak is specifically avoiding that segment in order to capitalize on its past strength in the high end of the market. Most of its CCDs have large sensor surfaces, almost a full inch tall and nearly two inches long. Its large-format family features CCDs with almost 4 square inches of sensor surfaces.