The Avago ADCC-3000 enables handset manufacturers to upgrade their one-quarter inch VGA (video graphics array) resolution cameras to the new one-quarter inch, 1.3 megapixel camera with a 4x increase in resolution and the ability to take sharper, truer color photos under all lighting conditions. With 1280 by 1024, 2.8 micron by 2.8 micron pixels, the ADCC-3000 is ideal for today's ultra-thin megapixel mobile phones.

"We've raised the bar for megapixel price and performance with our industry-best, one-quarter inch CMOS camera-on-a-chip," said James Stewart, vice president and general manager of Avago Technologies' Imaging Solutions Division. "This is the only one-quarter inch megapixel image sensor capable of producing high-quality, digital still-camera-like images and camcorder-like video, while accommodating today's ultra-slim camera phones. With its EP architecture and image pipe, this 1.3-megapixel sensor outperforms the competition's 1-, 2- and 3-megapixel sensors at all light levels to produce sharper, clearer photos."

"Avago Technologies' one-quarter inch megapixel sensor meets and exceeds our needs for high image quality, small form factor, and strong technical support," said Mike Burger, senior vice president of Flextronics' Components Division. "We are thrilled by the overall performance of the ADCC-3000 and are committed to integrating it into modules for our OEM customers."

"Our relationship and strong partnership with Flextronics, the leading camera module provider, has enabled both of us to maximize our success in this market by jointly targeting OEM design wins," said Stewart.

The ADCC-3000's EP pixel architecture reduces dark current and noise, and removes the lens shading effect to offer breakthrough low-light CMOS sensor performance that rivals CCD sensors. Its new dynamic range expander enables outstanding contrast, and a new proprietary exposure control adjusts picture brightness without increasing noise linearly or washing out colors, as commonly occurs with existing cameras.

The ADCC-3000 is built for superior video and action shots, enabling high image data velocity and reduced image lag. The image-pipe processor is specifically tuned to Avago's EP pixel architecture and uniquely accommodates a wide range of lighting conditions, from indoor to sunlight to fluorescent, and enhances overexposed or underexposed images. The ADCC-3000's image pipe adjusts white balance and color, and corrects anomalies, including lens shadows, geometric distortion, reduced picture focus at the edge of the lens, and digital sensor noise. Unlike many third-party graphics processors, Avago's image pipe is tightly coupled with the CMOS sensor, resulting in better colors, higher contrast, truer skin tones and picture rendering that is highly adaptive to varying light, shadows and movement.

ADDC-3000 One-Quarter Inch, 1.3 Megapixel Image Sensor

The ADCC-3000 sensor is capable of 15 frames per second at full 1280 by 1024 pixel SXGA (super extended graphics) resolution, and 30 frames per second in 640 by 480 pixel VGA mode. The ADCC-3000 contains several digital still-camera- and camcorder-like image-processing features:

• Plausible illuminant (adapts to the ambient light), an automatic illuminant detector that improves auto white balance for true color accuracy (1).
• Adaptive tone mapping that provides dynamic range expansion to deliver better contrast and richer, more vivid colors (1).
• Advanced exposure control for brighter non-flash images(1).
• Enhanced automatic pixel correction that is five times better than conventional bad pixel amelioration(1).
• True color image processing that is better than advanced auto white balance(1).
• Programmable, dual-LED and Xenon flash strobe synchronization(1).
• Locally adaptive color noise suppression(1).
• Smooth 4X digital zoom to emulate an optical zoom movement(1).
• Special-effects generator with "blue people," black and white, sepia, solarization and 20 other special effects.
• Anti-vignetting that provides automatic correction for lens shading effects.
• Picture sharpening and adaptive tone mapping.
• Auto-flicker correction.

(1) Avago Technologies proprietary advantage.

The ADCC-3000 CMOS camera-on-a-chip is sampling now through Avago Technologies' direct sales channel. Contact Avago for pricing and availability in production quantities. Further information about Avago's CMOS image sensors is available at www.avagotech.com/imaging

San Jose, Calif. — Avago Technologies raises the price and performance bar with its 1/4-inch optical format, 1.3-megapixel (MP) CMOS image sensor for camera phones. Leveraging the company's enhanced-performance (EP) pixel architecture and image-pipe processing (I-Pipe) technology, the company has unveiled the ADCC-3000 image sensor at this week's 3GSM World Congress, touting much better picture quality than existing megapixel sensors for camera phones.

Key features of the ADCC-3000 image sensor is its true color under changing lighting conditions, enhanced colors and lower noise in low light conditions, like CCD products, along with a low cost and low power consumption in a very small module size. In addition, the image sensor is one of the few 1.3 MP sensors that fits into the industry's smallest 8 x 8 x 5-mm low-profile camera modules.

This makes the 1280 x 1024 (2.8 x 2.8 micron pixels) ADCC-3000 a good fit for ultra-thin megapixel mobile phones. The image sensor is capable of 15 frames per second at full 1280 x 1024 pixel SXGA (super extended graphics) resolution, and 30 frames per second in 640 x 480 pixel VGA mode.

"We focused on creating a new kind of MP image sensor that would offer the performance equal to CCD-quality cameras and also be small enough to match the needs of the camera phone which are evolving into much thinner devices," said Feisal Mosleh, director of Avago's Mobile Imaging Marketing. "We think the pixel wars are a waste of time like the MHz wars that occurred in the PC world. You need to get the image quality right because megapixel is good enough to give you very good image quality."

As a result, Avago focused on improving image quality within the unique constraints of the camera phone market. What this means is that a camera phone must fit into a very small space; consume minimal power; conserve battery life; be capable of withstanding strong mechanical shock; have few moving parts and be extremely reliable, Mosleh explained.

What really matters to the user is image quality. Based on a survey of camera phone users, Mosleh said people aren't sharing pictures primarily because of the high cost of sending them and low image quality. The ADCC-3000 answers their needs by providing vivid color, bright exposure, no noise or distortion, sharpness and contrast, which all contribute to its digital still camera-like quality.

Touted as outperforming 1-, 2-, and 3-MP sensors at all light levels, the company said the advanced MP sensor and fully integrated SOC is the "only 1/4-inch MP image sensor capable of producing high-quality, digital still camera-like images and camcorder-like video", while fitting into ultra-slim camera phones. This also means that the ADCC-3000 can replace a 1/4-inch VGA sensor in handset designs, giving designers a four times increase in resolution, and providing users with sharper, true color photos under all lighting conditions.

Avago has incorporated several features that give the image sensor its good image quality. These include auto illuminant detection that adjusts automatically to any light for better whites and colors, and adaptive tone mapping that provides a dynamic range expansion for better contrast and more vivid colors. The advanced auto exposure brightens dark photos and vice versa without distortion. The company's FastAutoFocus feature provides the ability to focus rapidly while FastLane reduces image lag for action shots and video.

The ADDC-3000 also provides enhanced automatic pixel correction, noise reduction, true color imaging, and True Black (CCD-like black which translates into better black-white contrast). Other features include programmable, dual-LED and Xeno flash strobe synchronization, 4x digital zoom to emulate an optical zoom, a special-effects generator, anti-vignetting and auto-flicker correction.

The ADCC-3000 is also Avago's first product to incorporate both the EP pixel architecture and I-Pipe image processing technology. These technologies are the key reason behind the sensor's quality. The EP pixel architecture reduces dark current and noise, and removes the lens shading effect to offer low-light CMOS sensor performance that rivals CCD sensors. In addition, the new dynamic range expander enables better contrast, and a new proprietary exposure control adjusts picture brightness without increasing noise linearly or washing out colors.

As for the I-Pipe technology, the image-pipe processor is specifically tuned to Avago's EP pixel architecture and accommodates a wide range of lighting conditions. Since the CMOS sensor is tightly coupled with the CMOS sensor, it results in several advantages: better colors, higher contrast, truer skin tones and picture rendering that is highly adaptive to varying light, shadows and movement.

Size is also important. The ADCC-3000 enables a true 8 x 8-mm low-profile module with a z-height of 5-6 mm. "Today's MP sensors cannot support a thin module and the reason is because they are usually quite large on the x and y dimensions which means the optical format (lens size) is large," Mosleh said. "If the lens is large so is the lens thickness which is the predominant factor in determining the z height."

Avago was able to create a super thin lens by making advances in pixel design and sensor array layout design. "It's all about design, compression and efficiency of the layout," Mosleh said.

Mosleh said Avago entered the digital still/video-quality arena by primarily using three key features — FastLane for video and action shots, NiteVision for better performance in low light conditions, and DSC features such as auto focus, advanced exposure control, dynamic range expansion through extended dynamic range and automatic illuminant detection, he said.

The ADCC-3000 1.3 MP sensor is priced at less than $3.25 each in quantities of 1,000,000. Samples and volume production are available in February 2006.

Avago Technologies, 1-800-235-0312, www.avagotech.com/imaging