Cypress Semiconductor Korea recently announced commercial testing of its LUPA-4000-M CMOS image sensor produced by the recently acquired FillFactory NV. Developed to address the specific imaging needs of the professional and industrial marketplace, the LUPA-4000-M's target applications include machine vision, instrumentation, surveillance, biometric identification and medical imaging.

The LUPA-4000-M includes three unique features: a fully synchronous or pipelined snapshot shutter, making it possible to read one image while the next is being captured and to capture moving objects without distortion; a multiple windowing feature that enables the user to read out only regions of interest of the image, and as such increasing the effective frame rate; and a multiple slope capability that allows the user to capture scenes with a high contrast ratio without saturating the bright areas while maintaining good contrast in the dark parts. The LUPA-4000-M is offered only as a monochrome device at this time.

The CMOS image sensors will effectively double sales in the cell phone market, where Cypress is a leading supplier of low-power memories. They will expand Cypress's market in digital still cameras, where it currently sells a broad array of timing solutions. In the automotive market, where Cypress sells configurable microcontrollers and memories, the image sensors will augment the market. The CMOS manufacturing process used to make image sensors is similar to that used to manufacture memories, which make FillFactory a great fit with Cypress's core manufacturing capabilities.

Cypress plans to start mass production of LUPA-4000-M in the first quarter of next year.

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