Sony Developed Two New Sensors: A 3-Layer Organic Chip and the ‘World’s First’ All-PDAF Sensor

Sony is working hard to keep its image sensor supremacy. The company is planning to show off two new image sensors at the 2019 International Electronic Devices Meeting (IEDM) that should have photographers excited: a 3-layer organic image sensor that will require no demosaicing, and “the world’s first all PDAF CMOS image sensor.”

According to Image Sensor World, both of the new sensors were briefly described in the IEDM 2019 program, which was published a few weeks early by accident. According to that program, Sony will be showing off several new sensors, including a quad-bayer 1/2-inch 48MP “All-PDAF” CMOS chip and an organic “Three-layer Stacked Color Image Sensor.”

The 48MP quad-bayer chip is described as a “world’s first” that will allow for high-resolution capture and HDR function, with AF working as low as 1 lux:

We created the world’s first all PDAF CMOS image sensor using 2×2 on-chip lens architecture. That had 1/2 inch 48M pixels with 0.8µm Quad Bayer coding for high resolution and HDR function, and all PDAF pixels achieved a minimum AF illuminance level of 1 lux.

And the organic sensor will allegedly fix the “false color problem” since there is no need for demosaicing—you simply have one layer for red, one for green and one for blue.

A three-layer stacked color image sensor was formed using an organic film. The sensor decreases the false color problem as it dose not require demosaicing. Furthermore, with the 2.0-μm pixel image sensor, improved spectral characteristics owing to green adsorption by the organic film above the red/blue photodiode, were successfully demonstrated.

While both of these sensors are quite small by traditional camera standards—the quad-bayer uses 0.8um pixels and the organic sensor has 2um pixels—the technology that Sony is working on could have a huge impact on traditional photography if and when its ported to Sony’s MFT, APS-C and full-frame chips.

The all-PDAF sensor seems to be a Sony first, but it’s worth noting that other brands are already working on Organic image sensors. In fact, Panasonic just debuted the world’s first 8K organic chip at IBC 2019.

To find out more about the image sensors that will be presented at IEDM 2019—including several interesting chips from Samsung as well—head over to Image Sensor World.

(via Sony Alpha Rumors)