▲ Sungsoo Choi (left) from the Semiconductor R&D Center and Myoungoh Ki from the Advanced Sensor Development Team in Samsung Electronics’ System LSI business that developed the ISOCELL HP3.

The nail-sized camera lenses that are built into mobile devices have advanced extraordinarily since their inception. After becoming the first company in the industry to unveil CMOS image sensors (CIS) with 108 and 200 megapixels in 2019 and 2021 respectively, Samsung Electronics has recently surprised the market yet again with its ISOCELL HP3 image sensor, an image sensor packed with 200 million 0.56-micrometer (μm)-pixels, the smallest pixels in the industry.

Samsung is a leader in image sensor technologies with innovative semiconductor designs that can capture stunning images with high amounts of pixels. Through the announcement of the mass production of its ultra-high pixel image sensor, the ISOCELL HP3, the company has commercialized the development of 200MP mobile image sensors with ultra-small pixels.

To learn more about how Samsung developed this industry leading ultra-high pixel image sensor, Samsung Newsroom spoke with Myoungoh Ki and Sungsoo Choi, developers from the System LSI business and the Semiconductor R&D Center respectively who played a leading role in the development of the new ISOCELL HP3.

Smaller and Better: The First Company in the Industry To Commercialize 0.56μm Pixels

An image sensor is a system semiconductor that converts light that enters the device through the camera lens into digital signals. From digital cameras and smartphones to laptops and cars, image sensors are built into all electronic products that come with a camera. The ISOCELL HP3 that Samsung has recently unveiled is an image sensor that packs 200 million 0.56μm pixels, the smallest pixels in the industry, in a 1/1.4” optical format.¹

Since 2019, Samsung has annually succeeded in reducing its pixel size to match the smallest size in the industry. Smaller pixels are needed in order to keep devices slim.

“With a smaller unit pixel size, the physical size of the sensor and module can be reduced, allowing the size and width of the lens to be reduced as well,” explained Ki. “This can eliminate elements that interfere with the design of the device, such as a camera that protrudes, and can also reduce power consumption.”

While smaller pixels enable devices to be slimmer, maintaining image quality with smaller pixels is key. Developed using cutting-edge technology, the ISOCELL HP3, with a 12 percent smaller pixel size than the previous ISOCELL HP1 model, can reduce the camera module surface area in a mobile device by up to 20%. Despite its smaller pixel size, the sensor was developed using technology that maximizes full well capacity (FWC) and minimizes sensitivity loss. Additionally, new features were added to the sensor, including auto-focusing capabilities for all pixels and functions that enable high-speed video operation, along with enhanced color expression.

Increased Light Absorption and Photo Diode Capacity Using Unique Technological Capabilities

Smaller pixel size is ideal for creating smaller, slimmer devices but may result in less light entering the device or interference between adjacent pixels. Despite these challenges, Samsung was able to utilize the industry’s smallest pixels to create an innovative new sensor.

“It’s all thanks to Samsung’s proprietary technological capabilities,” said Ki. “Samsung’s innovative technology is able to provide high performance even in much smaller devices.”

Samsung succeeded in creating physical walls between pixels that are thinner and deeper by using its proprietary technology called Full Depth deep trench isolation (DTI), guaranteeing high performance even with 0.56μm. DTI, the key technology of the ISOCELL, creates an insulated component between pixels, acting as an isolated wall to prevent light loss and improve optical performance. Developer Choi compared this technology to building a thin barrier between different rooms in a building.

“In layman’s terms, it is the same as trying to create a thinner wall between your room and the room next door without affecting the soundproofing level,” explained Choi.

The key to DTI is to create thinner and deeper silicone walls to increase the ISO and reduce crosstalk² since larger insulation components between pixels mean more light loss. By applying this technique to the 0.56μm pixels, Samsung increased light absorption and maximized photo diode (PD) capacity. Therefore, utilizing ultra-small pixels has become possible since more light per pixel can be stored and processed even with a smaller light receptor area.

Auto-Focusing Feature for All 200 Megapixels Provides Increased Speed and Accuracy

The Super Quad Phase Detection (QPD) technology, which was first used in the HP3, enables all 200 megapixels to focus by increasing the auto-focusing pixel intensity to 100%. The Super QPD offers a faster and more accurate auto-focusing feature by utilizing one lens over four pixels, enabling the measurement of all phase differences of the left, right, top and bottom sides of the photographed subject. Not only is auto-focusing accurate even when it is dark, but high definition is maintained even when zoomed in.

To tackle the problem of poor image quality in low-light environments, Samsung utilized innovative pixel technology to ensure high quality images. “We utilized an upgraded version of Samsung’s proprietary Tetra²pixel technology which combines four or sixteen adjacent pixels to operate as one large pixel in low-light environments,” said Choi. The upgraded pixel technology enables high-resolution filming in 8K at 30 frames-per-second (fps) and in 4K at 120fps with no loss in the field of view. Moreover, it is possible to film 8K videos in ultra-high resolution with the same field of view as when taking photos.

Similar to low-light environments, it is also difficult to take photos when there is too much sunlight. In order to combat this problem, unique technology is needed to adjust the levels in photos to capture an image properly. “When there is too much or too little light, it is important to increase the dynamic range³ in order to take a natural photo that looks similar to what we see with our eyes,” said Ki. “By using the Smart-ISO Pro technology, which uses two conversion gains, and the Staggered High Dynamic Range (HDR)⁴ feature, which morphs three frames with different exposures (short exposure, medium exposure and long exposure) into one, it supports HDR photography that creates natural images even when shooting in imperfect lighting conditions, providing an optimal result.”

Collaboration: The Key for Overcoming Technical Limitations and Enabling Fast Development

During the development of the ISOCELL HP3, the developers faced various technical challenges. “As this was the first product that utilized the Super QPD technology, there was a lot of trial and error when utilizing a new structure that could not be found in existing Front Deep Trench Isolation (FDTI), and we also experienced issues that we had not anticipated in each development stage,” said Choi.

Despite such a difficult development process, the new sensor was announced less than a year after the previous model was released. The two developers attributed this rapid product development and release to collaboration between different teams.

“Whenever we faced a technical issue, we responded by closely cooperating with different business divisions, our team and even overseas research centers,” said Ki. “We were able to create synergy by adding know-how to top tier products, such as memory chips from the Semiconductor R&D center, logic chips and more. This new product may be the biggest collaborative effort between different departments yet, including employees from the Semiconductor R&D Center, Pixel Development Team, foundry, researchers at the SSIR and all groups in the advanced development team, such as sensor design, pixel, solution, product technology, manufacturing and algorithm.”

Pride in Leading Technical Prowess: Leading the Image Sensor Market

While the image sensor market is expected to experience rapid growth due to increased demand for cameras and the diversification of related products, Samsung is setting trends for cameras in the next-generation mobile image sensor market by overcoming the limitations of pixel miniaturization. Samsung Newsroom asked the two developers how they felt about leading the technical development of the ISOCELL HP3, the first 200MP image sensor in the industry to use 0.56μm pixels.

“I take great pride in the fact that we are creating trends in the image sensor market and I am confident that we will continue to lead in micropixel technology,” said Choi. “Since applications of image sensors are becoming more widespread in various industries, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and the automobile industry, in addition to the smartphone industry, we will lead the development of future technologies and markets based on our unique technological capabilities,” said Ki, sharing his future ambitions.

Samsung has successfully created ultra-small devices that capture images in high definition through its innovative image sensor technology. Samsung will continue to lead the image sensor market through its unique innovations, such as the ISOCELL image sensor, that provide optimized and advanced experiences to its users.

¹ The diameter of the area that is captured through the camera lens.

² A phenomenon where light interferes with the photodiodes of adjacent pixels.

³ The ratio between the brightest and darkest parts in a digital image.

⁴ A technology that expands the scope of brightness by making the bright parts brighter and the dark parts darker, similar to how the actual human eye sees.

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced the 200MP ISOCELL HP3, the image sensor with the industry’s smallest 0.56-micrometer (μm)-pixels.

“Samsung has continuously led the image sensor market trend through its technology leadership in high resolution sensors with the smallest pixels,” said JoonSeo Yim, Executive Vice President of Sensor Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “With our latest and upgraded 0.56μm 200MP ISOCELL HP3, Samsung will push on to deliver epic resolutions beyond professional levels for smartphone camera users.”

Epic Resolution Beyond Pro Levels

Since its first 108MP image sensor roll-out in 2019, Samsung has been leading the trend of next-generation, ultra-high-resolution camera development. Through the steady launch of new image sensors and advancements in performance, the company is once again forging ahead with the 0.56μm 200MP ISOCELL HP3.

The ISOCELL HP3, with a 12 percent smaller pixel size than the predecessor’s 0.64μm, packs 200 million pixels in a 1/1.4” optical format, which is the diameter of the area that is captured through the camera lens. This means that the ISOCELL HP3 can enable an approximately 20 percent reduction in camera module surface area, allowing smartphone manufacturers to keep their premium devices slim.

The ISOCELL HP3 comes with a Super QPD auto-focusing solution, meaning that all of the sensor’s pixels are equipped with auto-focusing capabilities. In addition, Super QPD uses a single lens over four-adjacent pixels to detect the phase differences in both horizontal and vertical directions. This paves way for a more accurate and quicker auto focusing for smartphone camera users.

The sensor also allows users to take videos in 8K at 30 frames-per-second (fps) or 4K at 120fps, with minimal loss in the field of view when taking 8K videos. Combined with the Super QPD solution, users can take movie-like cinematic footage with their mobile devices.

Ultimate Low Light Experience Through ‘Tetra²pixel’

The ISOCELL HP3 also provides an ultimate low-light experience, with the Tetra²pixel technology that combines four pixels into one to transform the 0.56μm 200MP sensor into a 1.12μm 50MP sensor, or a 12.5MP sensor with 2.24μm-pixels by combining 16 pixels into one. The technology enables the sensor to simulate a large-sized pixel sensor to take brighter and more vibrant shots even in dimmed environments, like in-doors or during nighttime.

To maximize the dynamic range of the mobile image sensor, the ISOCELL HP3 adopts an improved Smart-ISO Pro feature. The technology merges image information made from the two conversion gains of Low and High ISO mode to create HDR images. The upgraded version of the technology comes with a triple ISO mode — Low, Mid and High — that further widens the sensor’s dynamic range. In addition, the improved Smart-ISO Pro enables the sensor to express images in over 4 trillion colors (14-bit color depth), 64 times more colors than the predecessor’s 68 billion (12-bit). Furthermore, by supporting staggered HDR along with Smart-ISO Pro, the ISOCELL HP3 can switch between the two solutions depending on the filming environment to produce high-quality HDR images.

Samples of the Samsung ISOCELL HP3 are currently available, and mass production is set to begin this year.

Combining ultra-high resolution with fast autofocus and unparalleled low-light performance, Samsung’s newest image sensor allows you to capture any moment in impeccable detail. Here’s how the ISOCELL HP1 is changing the mobile photography game.

200 Million Pixels

The ISOCELL HP1’s ultra-high resolution is a big leap forward for mobile photography. Based on Samsung’s 0.64μm pixels, the ISOCELL HP1 is the world’s first 200-megapixel (MP) image sensor.

The sensor’s groundbreaking pixel count allows you to faithfully capture each and every aspect of your favorite moments. This means that images captured with the ISOCELL HP1 contain a world of detail even when cropped or zoomed in. To help users take full advantage of the 200MP sensor, the ISOCELL HP1 comes with Samsung’s new 4×4 hybrid pixel-binning technology, which allows it to adjust its pixel layout to suit the shooting environment, and is powered by a sophisticated, deep learning-based software remosaic.

The sensor’s pixel-binning technology also enables it to record crisp 8K videos with minimum loss in the field of view. It works by combining four pixels into one 1.28μm-sized pixel, allowing you to capture gorgeous 8K videos at 30fps, and stunning 4K slow-motion clips at 120fps.

Light Up the Night

Say goodbye to grainy low-light photos. The ISOCELL HP1’s combination of pixel-binning technology, Smart-ISO and multisampling allows you to capture clearer photos in dark settings.

When shooting in low-light environments, 4×4 hybrid pixel-binning technology – one of the ISOCELL HP1’s most versatile innovations – merges 16 pixels into one large, 2.56μm-sized pixel. This greatly improves the sensor’s light absorption, producing bright, 12.5MP images with less noise.

Smart-ISO, meanwhile, allows the ISOCELL HP1 to intelligently adjust to various lighting conditions. In dim environments, it switches to High ISO mode to deliver brighter, clearer photos. In well-lit environments, it selects Low ISO mode to ensure accurate colors and to reduce oversaturation. Finally, the image sensor’s multisampling technology reduces noise by analyzing multiple readouts of each pixel and averaging them into one.

Vibrant HDR Photos

The ISOCELL HP1 combines crystal clear details with vivid colors that make your photos pop. This is possible thanks to the addition of cutting-edge technologies like Staggered HDR and Smart-ISO Pro.

The former allows the image sensor to achieve a wide dynamic range of 100dB. A fast and efficient method of producing high dynamic range images, Staggered HDR captures frames at short, middle and long exposures to accurately expose shadows and highlights. It then merges those exposures into one image, so you can enjoy crisp, clear photos even in mixed-lighting scenarios. The ISOCELL HP1 also features Smart-ISO Pro, which takes Smart-ISO’s benefits a step further to enhance HDR video recording with sharper images and fewer motion artifacts.

Focus at the Speed of Life

To make it easier for users to capture fleeting moments, Samsung equipped the ISOCELL HP1 with fast and accurate autofocus. This is made possible thanks to the image sensor’s Double Super PD phase detection technology. Double Super PD technology contains twice as many autofocus pixels as Super PD. Those pixels are covered by AF micro-lenses that allow you to focus on fast-moving objects faster and capture stunning content.

With its groundbreaking resolution and cutting-edge technologies, the ISOCELL HP1 offers users access to a whole new world of detail. Get the most out of any moment with an image sensor that’s designed for a new era of mobile photography.

Stunning Details with 108 Million Pixels

The ISOCELL HM3 packs in 108 million 0.8um-sized pixels that are optimized to enhance clarity, allowing it to capture images that are highly detailed. For enhanced light sensitivity and color fidelity, each pixel is improved with ISOCELL 2.0 technology, which is a new generation of Samsung’s pixel isolation technology. ISOCELL technology uses a physical barrier between neighboring pixels to reduce color interference and prevent optical loss. With ISOCELL 2.0, Samsung utilized upgraded materials between color filters to increase light sensitivity and improve color fidelity.

The ISOCELL HM3 also features Nonapixel technology, which elevates performance in low-light conditions. In low-light environments, the image sensor combines nine pixels into one, and together, these nine pixels produce a single, big-pixel-like effect, allowing the newly formed pixel to absorb more light and thus produce bright, clear photos with reduced noise. The sensor also includes an improved re-mosaic algorithm that allows it to rearrange its 108 million pixels to best effect in bright settings, ensuring that it delivers optimized image resolution.

Bring Images to Life with Vibrant Colors

A truly capable image sensor must be able to adjust to take high quality photos in a broad range of lighting environments. With Smart-ISO, the ISOCELL HM3 is equipped with two levels of conversion gain for high and low ISO modes, allowing the camera to intelligently select the optimal settings for the lighting condition.

When shooting in well-lit environments, the ISOCELL HM3 takes pictures in low ISO mode in order to express colors more vividly and reduce oversaturation. When taking photos in low-lit environments, however, the sensor switches to high ISO mode to ensure your photos come out bright and clear. What’s more, to further improve nighttime shooting capabilities, the ISOCELL HM3 employs multi-sampling technology, which reads a scene into multiple frames and produces an average read of the frames to reduce noise in your final image. As a result, you get crisp, clear nighttime shots with less grainy-looking noise.

And Smart-ISO Pro takes things a step further by allowing the user to capture outstanding images with a broad dynamic range in mixed light settings as well. In this situation, the image sensor combines readings from both low and high ISO to allow the sensor to produce a single high-quality image with 12-bit color depth. To widen dynamic range even further, the ISOCELL HM3 also includes a Staggered-HDR feature, a fast, power-efficient method of producing high-dynamic range images. Staggered-HDR uses rolling shutters over the same pixel arrays to capture multiple frames at short, middle, and long exposures and then send each row of pixels respectively to the mobile processor. As a result, you get clear, vivid images even in mixed-lighting scenarios, such as sunsets or when shooting indoors against a window.

Capture All Motion Clearly

Few things are more important than autofocus when it comes to capturing scenes that are in motion. Fortunately, the ISOCELL HM3 includes Super PD Plus, which employs micro-lenses that cover the phase detection focusing agents and produce fast, precise autofocus. With optimized curvature on the autofocus micro-lenses, this advanced phase detection autofocus (PDAF) in the ISOCELL HM3 allows users to keep fast-moving subjects in focus, even in dark environments, so that they can capture them in crystal-clear definition.

What’s more, the ISOCELL HM3 doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to capturing high-quality videos, either. Supporting 8K high-resolution video recording, the sensor allows users to capture stunningly detailed videos in crystal-clear clarity. This function allows users to capture slow-motion videos as well, with the sensor capable of taking 4K videos at 120 frames per second and capturing full HD videos at an incredibly slow 240 frames per second.

Let your image sensor elevate your smartphone photography to new heights. By putting the power to capture next-level photos and videos right there in your pocket, the ISOCELL HM3 is raising the bar for smartphone photography.

“ISOCELL image sensors and its technologies have made vast improvements to deliver the quality and performance one would expect from top-tier prograde cameras,” said Duckhyun Chang, executive vice president of sensor business at Samsung Electronics. “Our new ISOCELL GN2 features Dual Pixel Pro, an innovative all-direction auto-focusing solution that elevates the agility to capture moments as they unfold. Adding on Smart ISO Pro and a variety of advanced pixel technologies, pictures from GN2 are more true-to-life than ever.”

The 1/1.12-inch ISOCELL GN2 is a highly versatile image sensor when it comes to image resolutions. With 50 million 1.4μm-sized pixels on hand, the GN2 offers exceptionally detailed photographs in regular settings. In low-lit environments such as indoors, the sensor can simulate a larger 2.8μm-pixel with four-pixel-binning technology to absorb more light, delivering brighter and sharper images.

For those who appreciate more detail in photographs or are prone to post-processing such as image cropping, the GN2 offers an option to take pictures in 100Mp resolutions. In 100Mp mode, the GN2 meticulously re-arranges the color pixels using an intelligent re-mosaic algorithm, creating three individual layers of 50Mp frames in green, red and blue. These frames are then up-scaled and merged to produce a single ultra-high 100Mp resolution photograph.

The ISOCELL GN2 is Samsung’s first image sensor to offer Dual Pixel Pro, the company’s most advanced phase-detection auto-focus solution yet. By employing two photodiodes within every pixel of the image sensor, Dual Pixel Pro makes use of one hundred million phase detecting agents for ultra-fast auto-focusing. In addition, the solution also offers all-direction focusing by splitting the pixels not only vertically, as with Dual Pixel, but also diagonally. This diagonal cut allows the focusing agents to better recognize the top and bottom of the frame, allowing the sensor to get in focus quickly even when there are no pattern changes in a horizontal direction. Low-light focusing and tracking of moving objects are improved as well, as every pixel of the sensor works as focusing agents.

For taking pictures in mixed-light environments, such as sunsets or indoors with daylight coming through a window, the GN2 increases its dynamic range with a staggered-HDR feature, a time-multiplexed HDR technology that uses rolling shutters over the same pixel arrays to capture multiple frames in short, middle, and long exposures. By maximizing the dynamic range, staggered-HDR ensures rich detail and vivid color in highlights and dark shadows within the scene, making it an ideal solution for shooting high-contrast sights. Staggered-HDR is able to reduce the energy consumption of a sensor by up to 24-percent when compared to the predecessor’s real-time HDR mode, contributing to improved energy efficiency of the overall system.

The GN2 also comes with Smart ISO and Smart ISO Pro. Smart ISO intelligently sets the sensor’s conversion gain, allowing the picture to be taken using an optimal ISO; low ISO for brighter outdoors or high for dimmer indoors. Unlike Smart ISO, which uses readouts from a single ISO per picture, Smart ISO Pro, which uses an intra-scene dual conversion gain (iDCG) solution, takes readouts from both high and low ISO to instantly create high dynamic range images with less motion-artifacts. In addition, in extreme low-light, Smart ISO Pro quickly takes and processes multiple frames in high ISO, raising the light sensitivity close to one-million ISOs and taking mobile night photography to greater heights.

Camera experiences can be more fun and creative with the GN2, where precious moments can be captured more dramatically and everyday events can be turned into short videos. The GN2 supports full-HD videos at 480 frames-per-second (fps) or 4K at 120fps, enabling wider possibilities for mobile video-shooting.

Samsung ISOCELL GN2 is currently in mass production.

Dynamic range, which refers to the brightest and darkest parts of a scene, is key to creating vibrant images with your smartphone. However, even the best digital cameras available today are unable to match the dynamic range of the human eye.

To maximize the dynamic range on smartphone cameras, Samsung engineers developed an innovative High Dynamic Range (HDR) solution for mobile image sensors – the Smart-ISO Pro.

How Image Sensors Capture Light

To understand how Smart-ISO Pro creates dynamic and vivid images, it is key to first understand how image sensors capture light and how sensor’s light sensitivity works.

In digital photography, the conversion gain determines the light sensitivity of the image sensor and is utilized to convert light into voltage. When shooting in low-light environments, details in dark areas can be lost if the conversion gain is too low. By contrast, the image sensor may not be able to retain sufficient color information if the conversion gain is too high in brighter environments.

Most mobile image sensors have a fixed conversion gain. This makes it challenging for smartphones to consistently capture high-quality photos across different lighting environments. The problem can then become even more pronounced in mixed lighting environments with extreme lighting discrepancies, such as backlit portraits.

Pro-Grade Photography, Made Simple

To ensure smartphone cameras can deliver clear images even in diverse lighting situations, Samsung developed Smart-ISO technology for its image sensors. This solution equips image sensors with two levels of conversion gain, high and low ISO mode, allowing the camera to select the optimal settings depending on the environment.

When the lighting is low, high ISO mode converts light to voltage with higher conversion gain to express adequate detailing in shadow while reducing noise in the image. Low ISO mode also maximizes the capacity of each individual pixel to prevent oversaturation and to enhance color reproduction in brighter parts of the shot.

Following the development of Smart-ISO, engineers at Samsung began exploring ways to combine two levels of conversion gain into a single image sensor in order to improve the dynamic range. The result is Smart-ISO Pro, an HDR solution that enables the image sensor to capture a single HDR photo with the benefits of both high and low ISO modes.

When the smartphone camera takes a photo, Smart-ISO Pro first converts the light information of the scene into the voltage signal in both high and low ISO modes respectively. Next, the technology intelligently combines the outcome of the two modes together to create a final image with high dynamic range. This enables the image sensor to bring out the detailing of darker areas, retain the natural color of highlight areas, and ultimately produce images that are true-to-life.

Bursting With Color

The power of Smart-ISO Pro technology goes beyond its ability to precisely capture contrasting light and shadowed areas. With 12-bit color depth support, the technology also delivers unparalleled accuracy in color reproduction. Pixels in image sensors record color information through binary digits, also known as bits. The more bits per pixel, the more colors the sensor can produce.

By combining the information from two 10-bit images together, Smart-ISO Pro can express over 687 billion colors, which is 10 times more than a single 10-bit image. When shooting a smartphone’s pro mode, 12-bit HDR images can be saved in RAW format, giving users greater flexibility when it comes to adjusting exposure, white balance, color and more with less concessions.

The integration of Smart-ISO Pro into Samsung’s ISOCELL image sensors is just another way the company is constantly endeavoring to provide users with pro-grade mobile photography solutions. Take a look at the video below to see the uncompromising Smart-ISO Pro technology in action.