14,6 megapixel image sensor for mobile devices

Next year, we will find cameras up to 14,6 megapixels in mobile devices.

Toshiba unveiled a new sensor called Dynastron yesterday, the design of which is reversed compared to currently prevalent solutions. The technology is called BSI, or backside illumination. Due to the backlight, the new sensor performs much better in low-light shots, as the inverted design means that the wiring is not in front of the image sensor, but behind it, as shown in the figure below. The new technology increases light sensitivity by 40 percent.

Production of the new sensor will begin as early as December this year, but mass production is not expected to begin until the third quarter of 2010. At the same time, it is conceivable that by Christmas 2010 we will already be seeing phones or compact cameras that feature the new 14,6 megapixel sensor.