Samsung unveils 200MP HP5 sensor with 0.5µm pixels

Samsung on Wednesday unveiled a new 200‑megapixel mobile image sensor, the ISOCELL HP5, a compact component the company says measures 11.56 inches and is "the world's first to feature 0.5µm‑sized pixels." The sensor is being pitched to smartphone makers as a space‑efficient, high‑resolution option for telephoto and periscope camera modules, and several handset manufacturers are reported to be preparing phones that will use the new part.

Samsung acknowledged that shrinking pixel size reduces the amount of light each pixel can collect, a tradeoff that typically raises noise and degrades low‑light performance. To address that physics constraint, the company has combined several structural and processing techniques. The HP5 uses Front Deep Trench Isolation and Dual Vertical Transfer Gate architectures to increase electron storage capacity per pixel, and an updated DTI Center Cut technology that Samsung says boosts conversion gain by as much as 150 percent and cut random noise by up to 40 percent depending on shooting conditions. The sensor also incorporates high‑transmittance anti‑reflective layers, high‑precision microlenses and other optimizations intended to reduce light loss...