Cypress designs BSI digital output CMOS image sensor for NEC TOSHIBA

SAN JOSE, USA: Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY) today announced it has designed a custom back-side illuminated CMOS image sensor for a satellite hyperspectral imaging application from NEC TOSHIBA Space Systems Ltd.

Back-side illumination (BSI) increases the amount of light and the spectral range that can be captured by each pixel, delivering ultra-high-sensitivity images. The custom sensor is the industry’s first to combine a radiation-tolerant BSI architecture with a high-speed digital output interface, enabling detailed analysis from space of hyperspectral images that capture information from across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Cypress and NEC TOSHIBA Space Systems expect the design to be in space-qualified flight models by mid-2010. The sensor is expected to be available for other space and military applications after flight qualification is completed.

BSI allowed Cypress to use noise reduction techniques such as correlated double sampling without compromising spectral response or sensitivity. In addition to the BSI architecture, the imager integrates Cypress’s patented global-shutter technology, which enables fast frame rates with the ability to read one frame while the next is being captured.

Cypress’s global shuttering is used in a wide range of products, including the world’s fastest CMOS image sensors. The sensor is arranged in a 1024 column x 256 row configuration. The design includes on-board analog-to-digital converters and a high-speed digital interface tailored for space applications.

Cypress will be demonstrating its industry-leading custom and standard CMOS image sensor solutions at the 2009 Image Sensing Show in Yokohama, Japan from June 10-12, 2009 in Booth #69.

“We selected Cypress for this project based on their extensive experience in designing and back-side illuminated products and radiation-tolerant CMOS sensors for space, as well as for their leading global shuttering technology,” said the Program Manager at NEC TOSHIBA Space Systems. “The imager’s ability to deliver highly detailed images at fast speeds is applicable to many applications beyond space.”

“This sensor represents a significant advance in spectral response and sensitivity for CMOS-based space applications using back-side illumination technology,” said Cliff Drowley, vice president of Cypress’s image sensor business unit. “Cypress worked closely with NEC TOSHIBA Space Systems to develop this unique architecture, and we look forward to expanding its reach to new applications.”