Low-cost, one-chip digital cameras coming to a store near you

Sarnoff Corp. (Princeton, NJ) hopes that its new image sensor, based on a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, will make the digital camera as inexpensive as a computer mouse and just as common. The CMOS active pixel sensor delivers nearly 100X the dynamic range of a standard charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, at comparable resolutions. Exposure is controlled without a mechanical irisand the on-board electronics eliminate the need for external analog-to-digital converters required in CCD-based cameras. Sarnoff will license the technology to camera makers and provide engineering support to modify the design for specific camera applications. The company predicts that eventual unit costs for the chips could be in the $6 to$10 range. Demonstrators of the technology are now available. For more information, contact Tom Lento, Sarnoff Corporation, CN 5300, Princeton, NJ 08543-5300; ph: (609)734-3178; FAX: (609)734-2040; e-mail: [email protected].