Sony Aims to Double Image Sensor Production
December 31, 2010
Sony announced that the company plans to double
its image sensor output from the current 25,000 units to 50,000 units per
month, including CCD (Charged Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide
Semiconductor) types by March 2012, according a December 27, 2010 report by the
Financial Times. It is reported that Sony will spend 100 billion yen (US$1.2
billion; US$1=81.5 yen) in next fiscal year starting from April 2011 on
expanding image sensor output. As part of the investment, Sony is expected to
buy back a plant located in Nagasaki, southern Japan from Toshiba. Part of the
Nagasaki plant is projected to be converted to CMOS sensor production. Sony
also plans to invest in wafer processing equipment for CMOS sensors.