In 1997, seven years after establishing the concept, the development was complete. The sensor was the first full-scale mass-production chip and was used as a benchmark by competitors in the market. It was also the first imaging chip in the world to be used to transmit image data by mobile phone. Today, more than 15 million units have been shipped for use in a variety of applications that include mobile phones, security and gaming equipment.
* Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor (CMOS):
A device that uses two types of MOS-FET transistors in pairs. The output optical input as an electric signal is the same as that of a CCD, but the power consumption is approximately one-twentieth (1/20) that of a CCD.
** Charge-coupled device (CCD):
A device that uses semiconductors in which accumulated power changes in response to optical input. The optical input is then output as an electric signal.
