Is first in a series of advanced CCDs, all of which will fit into packages with the same footprint and pinout

The first of a planned series of devices, the KAI-01050 1/2-in. image sensor can record up to 120 fps and packs 1-Mpixel capability into what formerly would have required a 2/3-in. format. It is the first device in a series that will come in packages with the same footprint and pinout, allowing designers of, say, industrial imaging and robotic systems to effortlessly upgrade imaging capability for new models.

Based on the company¡¯s eighth-generation interline-transfer CCD technology (which reduces pixel size by almost 50%, doubles the maximum frame rate, and increases quality), the sensor owes its speed in part to a quad-output architecture that provides a choice of one, two, or four 40-MHz frame offload paths.

At the same time, the 5.5-µm-pixel device reduces image smear to −100 dB, producing cleaner images at high speeds. It also provides low-noise operation of 12 e− at 40 MHz.