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Camera Module Makers Driven into a Corner with CIS Price Skyrocketing
2011/05/19 By Lee Hyeong-soo, Moon Bo-gyeong
The prices of high-pixel micro CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) image sensors have risen by 10% to 40%, driving camera module manufacturers up the wall.
In the past, the cutting-edge image sensor technology used to be mainly for satellite purposes. Then, an increasing number of digital cameras and smart phones have adopted it with time with the production capacity falling short of the demands. In addition, Samsung Electronics has shifted the focus of its relevant price policy from mass-market to high-end, adding fuel to the fire.
It is not easy to pinpoint the percentage of the price increase as the price depends on the volume of orders. However, the industry is forecasting it at somewhere between 10% and 40%. Furthermore, the wafer supply has been in trouble since the recent earthquake in Japan. At present, camera module makers are forced to wait much more to receive the image sensors they placed orders for.
“We are constrained to make a preorder and pay in cash to get them,” lamented a local camera module company, adding, “We find it hard to get the sensors within 16 weeks now, though it used to take eight weeks until recently.” An industry expert chimed in, “Samsung Electronics marketed its products at low prices to increase its market share, but it is now raising them under the premium market-oriented pricy strategy.”
Those in the know are predicting that the supply shortage will continue at least until the second half of this year as the production of the BSI (back-side illumination) sensors is far from sufficient. |
