Sony’s New Global Shutter Sensor Captures 105 Megapixels at 100FPS

A close-up image of an electronic sensor, likely a camera sensor, with a rainbow-colored reflective surface and four mounting holes, set against a plain white background.

 

Sony Semiconductor has announced a new high-speed, high-resolution image sensor called the IMX927, a backside-illuminated and stacked CMOS sensor with a global shutter. While designed for industrial use, it showcases Sony’s sensor capabilities and may give some insight into what may trickle down to consumer devices.

The sensor is a Type 2.5, which measures 39.7mm on the diagonal (slightly smaller than the diagonal of a Sony full-frame sensor, which is about a 43.3mm diagonal), and is square. Sony says that the combination of 105 megapixels and 100 frames per second sets a new standard and is an industry-leading combination. It is equipped with Sony’s Pregius S global shutter technology, which the company says is only possible thanks to the company’s proprietary pixel structure.

“By optimizing the sensor drive in pixel reading and A/D converter, it supports high-speed image data output. Introducing this high-resolution and high-frame-rate model into the product lineup will help improving productivity in industrial equipment domain, where recognition targets and inspection methods continue to diversify,” Sony says. Sony adds that the A/D converter is responsible for saving power and therefore enabling faster processing, which is how the sensor is able to achieve its high frame rate.

Diagram showing a heat sink mounted above a sensor board with connectors; the heat sink is labeled as attachable and detachable, and the IMX927 (back side) is shown with connectors indicated.
The IMX927 Series features a newly developed ceramic package with connectors for all types. All 16 products have standardized connectors and are pin-compatible, ensuring compatibility in camera design. Additionally, the detachable design facilitates easy sensor replacement according to specifications. Furthermore, these common connectors contribute to simplifying camera assembly operations compared to surface-mount-device (SMD) technology. | Sony Semiconductor

As noted in the above quote, the sensor is designed for industrial use, so it is unlikely that it will appear in consumer devices — at least not in its current form. That said, it is possible that Sony would find a way to take the technology and adapt it for consumer-level cameras in the future.

The IMX927 can capture photos in 8, 10, and 12-bit at 112, 102, and 73 frames per second (FPS), so that quote of 100FPS appears to be an average. Sony is also making the sensor available in both monochrome and Bayer. Images captured with the IMX927 measure 10,272 by 10,272 pixels, so it is a perfect square.

Diagram showing a sensor with red, green, and blue pixels, subsampling imaging with fewer active pixels for high frame rate, and color imaging using all pixels for high resolution; switchable between two modes.

“The new sensor is equipped with Pregius S global shutter technology. The very small 2.74 μm hat use Sony’s proprietary back-illuminated pixels and stacked structure enable the approximately 105-effective-megapixels resolution in a compact size with a high level of sensitivity and saturation capacit,” Sony says.

“In addition to inspections of precision components such as semiconductors and flat-panel displays, which require a high degree of accuracy, this feature also enables the capture of larger objects with distortion-free, high-resolution, low-noise images. Thereby machine vision cameras can achieve higher precision measurement and inspection processes in a wide range of applications.”