Advanced semiconductor technology provider, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. unveils three new mobile image sensors designed for main and sub cameras in smartphones. These sensors are ISOCELL HP9, the ISOCELL GNJ and the ISOCELL JN5.
The new image sensors will deliver better results from every angle.
Jesuk Lee, EVP and CTO of the System LSI Sensor Business Team at Samsung Electronics, said, “Enhancing image sensor performance and bridging the gap between main and sub cameras to offer a consistent photography experience across all angles is the new direction of the industry.” He further added, “We will continue to set industry standards and push technological boundaries with our new lineup of mobile sensors that integrate the latest advancements.”
The ISOCELL HP9 features 200 million 0.56-micrometer (μm) pixels in a 1/1.4-inch optical format. It’s high-reflective microlens features a new material, the HP9. This significantly enhances light-gathering capability by directing more light accurately to the corresponding RGB color filter, resulting in more vivid color reproduction and improved focus with 12% better light sensitivity, and 10% improved autofocus contrast performance compared to the previous product.
HP9 also address the traditional telephoto cameras issue – low-light conditions. Its Tetrapixel technology merges 16 pixels (4×4) into a large, 12MP 2.24μm-sized sensor, enabling sharper portrait shots — even in dark settings — and creating dramatic out-of-focus bokeh1 effects.
HP9 is powered by a remosaic algorithm and offers 2x or 4x in-sensor zoom modes. This enables the camera to zoom 12x apried with a 3x zoom telephoto module.
The ISOCELL GNJ is a dual pixel sensor with 50 million 1.0μm pixels in a 1/1.57-inch optical format. Each pixel has two photodiodes that enable fast and accurate autofocus. This sensor also simultaneously captures full color information for quick focusing with sustained image quality.
GNJ combines dual pixel technology with an in-sensor zoom function to deliver clear footage in video mode and higher-resolution images free from artifacts or moiré2 patterns in photo mode. The new high-transmittance anti-refractive layer (ARL), along with Samsung’s proprietary high-refractive microlens, boosts light transmission and reduces unwanted reflections.
GNJ also includes an upgraded pixel isolation material in deep trench isolation (DTI) from polysilicon to silicon oxide. This minimizes crosstalk between adjacent pixels, allowing the sensor to capture more detailed and precise images. This results in 29% improvement in preview mode and 34% in video mode at 4K 60fps.
The third sensor, ISOCELL JN5, features 50 million 0.64μm pixels in a 1/2.76-inch optical format. It’s Dual vertical transfer gate (Dual VTG) technology increases charge transfer within pixels, substantially reducing noise in extreme low light conditions for clearer image quality. Further, it’s Super Quad Phase Detection (Super QPD) allows JN5 to adjust focus by comparing phase differences both vertically and horizontally, allowing to capture smallest details of rapidly moving objects with minimal shake.
JN5 also incorporates dual slope gain (DSG) technology to enhance its HDR, which amplifies the analog light information entering the pixels into two signals, converts them into digital, and then combines them into one data, expanding the range of colors that the sensor can produce.
The JN5’s slim optical format makes it highly versatile, allowing it to be used across main and sub cameras —including wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle, front and telephoto — promising a consistent camera experience from various angles.
