Wafer-thin cameras coming to mobile phones

USA - Electronics company Tessera Technologies has unveiled a wafer-level camera technology designed for miniaturised cameras in devices including mobile phones and PCs.

Tessera's OptiML WLC technology makes it possible for cameras to be manufactured at the wafer level, dramatically reducing the size and cost of camera modules.

Thousands of lenses can be manufactured simultaneously on a wafer, and bonded at the wafer level to create the optical element of the camera.

The simplified assembly should result in cost savings of 30 per cent for the optical component of the camera module, and cut the size of conventional camera modules in cameraphones in half.

"We believe that utilising a wafer-level camera manufacturing technology is the most viable path to overcoming the challenges facing the industry today," said Bruce McWilliams, chairman, president and chief executive at Tessera.

"We believe that our OptiML wafer-level camera technology represents a significant leap forward in the development of highly integrated, lower cost optics for consumer and other electronics."

A major advantage of the process is that for fixed-focus applications traditionally used for VGA up to 2-megapixel resolution cameraphones, OptiML WLC eliminates the need for manual focus adjustment of the camera's optical elements.

For 2-megapixel resolution and above, advanced auto focus and digital optical zoom can be integrated into the OptiML WLC solution using Eyesquad technology without the use of moving parts.

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