ANALYSIS: IMAGE SENSORS
End of the line for the CCD?
Sony has decided to discontinue its line of CCD sensors. Pierre Cambou at Yole Développement assesses what the move means for machine vision camera suppliers
S
ony has initiated the process of exiting its charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor and
camera business. As is usual in this kind of matter, Sony is currently discussing the move with its main customers and distributors, with a preliminary schedule being 2017, with progressive phase out until 2020. Te timing might not yet be
definitive as discussions are ongoing. One thing is certain: this is the beginning of the end for Sony CCDs. Tis should not astonish anyone in the industry. Tose who have been around long enough have witnessed the end of tube technology and then transitions between different CCD technology nodes. Yole Développement, the market research and strategy consulting company, recently covered those transitions in its latest report, ‘Status of the CMOS image industry, 2015 edition’. Te time of CMOS image
sensors (CIS) has now come. Volume CCD manufacturers like Sony have to take the necessary steps to get out of this business before their revenues fall below the running cost of their organisation and facilities. Te fact that Sony was the leader in CCD means they were mostly dependent on high volume applications like digital still cameras (DSC) and security. Without that volume their CCD
business model has vanished, condemning the remaining applications like machine vision. Indeed, this announcement
has a major effect on the machine vision community. CCDs have in recent years concentrated on the high end of the market and are particularly appreciated in industrial applications. Some amazing new developments have extended the performance envelope beyond anything thinkable a few years back. At Yole Développement, we
have tracked the advance of such technologies, including multispectral time-delayed integration (TDI), back-side illumination (BSI), and electron multiplying CCD (EMCCD). Te affordability of custom CCD design has been another great advantage for machine vision. It is relatively easy to have a custom design when costs are in the order of a few hundred thousand dollars. Te last advantage was the long product life cycle CCD seemed to offer… until now. Tis is certainly where the pain will be felt most keenly. Machine vision applications have been driving CCD technology for a few years. Te performance standard is still set by CCDs and for some demanding applications, CCDs will not be replaced. For system manufacturers who were relying on Sony, it is time to make a choice. Tey must either change
12 Imaging and Machine Vision Europe • April/May 2015 A 12 megapixel
CCD from Teledyne Dalsa, one of the remaining suppliers of CCDs
Sony’s main motivation might be to concentrate its workforce quickly on a market that will matter in the future: machine vision
to the remaining suppliers, such as Teledyne Dalsa, On Semiconductor (Truesense), e2v, Fairchild Semiconductor, or take the big leap to CMOS. Strategically, this is a very
interesting move to watch. Sony has had a singular approach in handling the CCD to CMOS shiſt and is now accelerating the change. In Yole Développement’s analysis, this might be explained mostly with respect to internal matters rather than external. Te move will always feel uneasy for the customer and waiting a few years more does not really change anything since industry cycles are much longer in machine vision. CIS technology is ready,
especially Sony’s CIS. Giving more time to customers would mean the competition could also beef up their CMOS offering and capture some market share. Sony’s main motivation might be to concentrate its workforce quickly on a market that will matter in the future: machine vision. Tere is a French saying: ‘One does not fight the next war with the weapons of the previous’. At Yole Développement, analysts believe this acceleration of the transition may also demonstrate the interest Sony has in staying a major player in the machine vision industry. It is always sad for technologists
to watch the creative destruction of technology shiſts. I believe this major transition will renew the innovation drive of the industry. Let’s buckle up for a new technology cycle; I am convinced we are not to be disappointed. CCD image sensors are dead, long live CMOS image sensors! O
Pierre Cambou is activity leader for imaging and sensors at market research and strategy consulting company, Yole Développement
@imveurope
www.imveurope.com
Teledyne Dalsa
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