Samsung has announced two new ISOCELL Vizion sensors, tailored for robotics and XR applications

     Samsung Electronics has introduced two new ISOCELL image sensors: the ToF (Time of Flight) sensor ISOCELL Vizion 63D and the global shutter sensor ISOCELL Vizion 931. The Samsung ISOCELL Vizion series, first launched in 2020, includes ToF sensors, global shutter sensors and is specifically designed to provide vision support for the next generation of mobile, commercial and industrial applications.

     Haechang Lee, Executive Vice President, Sensor Business Team, Samsung Electronics, said: "The Samsung ISOCELL Vizion 63D and ISOCELL Vizion 931 feature advanced sensor technology that is critical for future high-tech applications such as robotics and extended reality (XR). With our rich history of technological innovation, we are committed to driving the rapidly expanding image sensor market forward."

     The Samsung ISOCELL Vizion 63D is an indirect Time of flight (iToF) sensor that senses its three-dimensional environment by detecting the phase difference between the emitted and reflected beams of light. With excellent accuracy and clarity, 63D sensors are ideal for service and industrial robots, where they are critical for XR devices and facial verification that require high resolution and precise depth inspection.

     The ISOCELL Vizion 63D is Samsung's first iToF sensor with an integrated depth-sensing hardware image Signal Processor (ISP). With its innovative single-chip design, it can accurately capture 3D depth information without the help of other chips, and consumes 40% less power than the ISOCELL Vizion 33D. The sensor can also perform high-speed image processing at up to 320 frames per second at QVGA resolution (320x240), meeting the high display resolution requirements of commercial and industrial markets.

     Referring to the industry's smallest iToF sensor pixel size, the ISOCELL Vizion 63D is only 3.5 pixels in size and achieves Video Graphics Array (VGA) level resolution (640x480) in 1/6.4" optical format, making it flexible for a variety of portable devices. Using backscatter technology (BST) to improve the sensor's quantum efficiency, Vizion 63D improves to 38% at 940 nanometers (nm) infrared light wavelengths, which is close to the industry's highest quantum efficiency level. This increases sensitivity and reduces noise, resulting in sharper picture quality with minimal motion blur. In addition, the ISOCELL Vizion 63D supports both flood (short range high-resolution) and focus (long range) lighting modes, increasing the range of measured distances from 5 meters to 10 meters.

     The ISOCELL Vizion 931 is a global shutter image sensor designed to capture dynamic moments without the jelly effect even when shooting fast-moving objects. Unlike rolling shutter sensors, which scan the scene in a "rolling" fashion from top to bottom, global shutter sensors capture the entire scene at once or "globally" in an imaging manner similar to the human eye. This enables the ISOCELL Vizion 931 to capture clear and realistic images of moving objects, making it ideal for extended reality (XR) devices, gaming systems, service and logistics robots and drones for motion tracking.

     Designed with a 1:1 VGA resolution (640 x 640), the Vizion 931 packs more pixels into a smaller form factor, making it an excellent choice for iris recognition while also detecting subtle movements such as facial expressions and gestures in head-mounted display devices such as the XR.

     The ISOCELL Vizion 931 also achieves near the industry's highest quantum efficiency by incorporating front deep groove isolation (FDTI), increasing to 60% at 850 nanometers (nm) infrared wavelengths. In addition to the BST method used in ISOCELL Vizion 63D, the insulation between the pixels maximizes the amount of light absorbed.