Digital Imaging Technology: A Breakthrough In China's Information Industry

  The early eighties of last century, China andfunction or electro-optical sensor systems.
Korea, and Taiwan region of China at the same   
time start the development of microelectronics   Digital imaging technology and market
industry. North Korea established a focus onhigh-growth potential is enormous. 30% annual
capturing the world's semiconductor memorygrowth rate is expected to digital imaging chips in
(memory) market strategy, China's Taiwan focus2005 will be 50 billion market, growth rate reached
on developing the semiconductor production30%. Digital imaging chip as the core component
process, relying on massive global dedicated chipof the product market potential is enormous,
(ASIC) processing markets. Over the past twoincluding:
decades, North Korea and China's Taiwan are in   
the global microelectronics industry occupies an   PC Camera: 2001 sales of 12 million units in
area and enter a virtuous circle of industry. The2005 is expected to reach 100 million units.
micro-electronics industry in China mainland for   
various reasons, failed to establish a long-term   Digital Cameras: 2001 sales of 18 million units,
strategic development objectives, focus oncompared with 2000 growth of 55%. In 2005 will
capturing a certain area, the results so far alsoreach 50 million units.
failed to structure the information in the world to   
take its rightful place.   Digital printers, scanners, digital photo paper
   will also have a great development.
   Today, North Korea in the field of memory   
chips has unparalleled advantages, China's Taiwan   Other application tools: cell phones, portable
in the chip manufacturing industry plays a vital rolee-mail reader, web tablet, palm pilot, smart
while the United States in the PC centralphones, communication devices, Internet phones
processing unit (CPU), and other various mediawill also be widely used digital imaging technology.
processor (processor) in leading the world beyond   
controversy. Now, people have formed a   Particular should not overlook the potential
consensus to revive the Chinese microelectronicsmarket for mobile digital imaging, mobile digital
industry, there must be the country's overallvideo is expected to grow at an annual rate of
product strategy and development strategies, the400% of the development, such as mobile
dumping of a country focused on capturing anphones, PDA and so on. It is estimated that by
area of strength.the end of 2002, Europe will have more than one
   million customers through non-PC Internet access
   China urgently needs a breakthroughdevices, global mobile subscribers will reach 1 billion.
   In 2005, three-quarters of Europeans will have a
   After two decades of development, China'snetwork of mobile phones, half of them will be for
information industry has gathered considerableregular use.
strength, gained considerable experience and   
accumulated. We believe that the imperative is   2005 global handset production will reach 500
not only a question of capital and talent, but themillion. One third of the phone with a camera, text
key microelectronic technology products in manymessages, multimedia messages, including text
markets as soon as possible to find a suit China'sanimation static and dynamic images music,
current technological level and production capacity,multimedia information is expected to be popular
but also has huge market potential in new areas,in 2002.
and as a breakthrough in the field and strive to   
seize the world's leading position.   There is no hegemon is
      
   Only in this way can lead the state's   We have an opportunity to
information industry, as well as the national   
economy. Resulting in the fierce international   Is particularly worth mentioning is that,
competition to obtain and maintain a leadingcompared to memory chips, CPU has been party
position.to such a dominant product, in the digital imaging
   chip, and has broad prospects in this field, still in A
   The best of the four necessary conditionscrowded melee situation has not yet emerged a
for a breakthroughhegemon.
      
   We believe that this the best should have   At present, OmniVision, Kodak, Zoran,
the following essential breakthrough in the fourMotorola, IC Media, Surplus, Winbond and other
necessary conditions:world-famous large companies, and at least a
   dozen university laboratories are seriously
   1. The new technology - can be avoided withcommitted to CMOS digital camera chip-depth
the direct competition with existing products andstudy.
markets;   
      130 on behalf of Multi-megapixel digital
   2.'s Market is huge - huge profits available,camera chips, there are individual companies in the
and re-investment;development of 2 million pixel camera chip.
   However, no one company can do like the CPU
   3. Production process maturity - can makemarket-dominant position, so it is history and the
use of China's existing production line formarket give us an opportunity, if we focus on
large-scale production;financial, human, material captured in this area like
   North Korea's capture of the original area of
   4. A long product life cycle - a longer periodmemory chips, Taiwan captured the field of chip
may not be a smaller-scale lithography productsmanufacturing, as is entirely possible.
out.   
      Domestic basic conditions are
   Judging from the current situation, we believe   
that these four conditions have the best product   Particularly should be noted that the domestic
choice is digital imaging technology and products.chip industry chain has taken shape. After 20
   years of development, China has experienced
   The advantages of digital imaging technologyself-developed integrated circuit business, the
   introduction of improvement and focus on the
   We are talking about digital imagingconstruction of three major stages of
technology, primarily fingerprint-digital conversiondevelopment. Now has substantial industrial base,
of the CMOS technology, which is a pure digitalformed by the seven chip manufacturing
imaging technology, than the conventional CCDbackbone enterprises, more than a dozen
imaging technology, the main advantage is its lowpackaging factory, dozens of major design firms,
price.and key materials and special equipment industry
   group composed of equipment manufacturers.
   Although the CMOS chips to enhance the   
image quality of digital photos (currently 1.3 million   IC design, chip manufacturing and circuit
pixels) than the CCD chip (currently up to 5 millionpackaging industry in three simultaneously
pixels) slightly inferior, but, CMOS chip, but its lowpresented relatively concentrated geographically
cost and competitive price, using CMOS chip, , onetrend.
can create a much more affordable digital   
cameras, therefore, CMOS technology, more and   IC production in 2000 of about 5.88 billion,
more the concern of designers of digital camerascompared with 1999, an increase of 41.7%, sales
to come in handy in the digital camera industry.of close to 20 billion yuan.
      
   CMOS chips, a prominent advantage is that   Huahong 0.35-micron chip production lines and
minimal power consumption, therefore, CMOSso launched, making China has become the world's
image sensors for the growing market demand,chip manufacturing center of the conditions, but
often in short supply.also makes the Chinese mainland itself formed a
   chip design, production and packaging of industrial
   U.S. Agency for International marketchain.
research company (Dataquest) of the analysts   
believe that, although the performance of CMOS   From a market perspective, China's mobile
chips is not the best, but it is cheap, which is thephone market, the world's first, PC market is
expansion of markets for digital cameras is critical.about to surpass Japan the second largest in the
   world, the State Planning Commission, the digital
   CMOS digital imaging device technology hascamera industry, special plan for the chip design,
matured, and compared with conventional CCDmanufacturing industry provides a broad
imaging systems, CMOS digital imaging devices theapplication prospects.
system has the advantage of the entire imaging   
system integrated in one chip, enabling CMOS   Therefore, China's current situation has been
sensor system with the amount of smaller, lessthat everything is ready, only a strong wind, the
space than the small, less power consumption andDongfeng is China's strategic decision-making.
overall low prices and so on. Is estimated that the   
CMOS digital imaging devices have been able to   Conclusion
achieve 2 million pixels, accounting for 30-40% of   
the digital camera market.   In summary, we believe that China should
   seize the historic opportunity to start the digital
   Market wide range of applicationsimaging technology for national development
   strategies, the upper hand in the global information
   Digital imaging chip market wide range ofindustry, occupation of a field, thereby giving
technology applications, mainly all kinds of videoimpetus to the development of the entire national
products, including computer camera, digitaleconomy, so that China in the information
cameras, digital cameras, video phones, all kindsindustry to catch up with and surpass the
for industrial, medical, transportation and securitydeveloped countries, and thus come to the
and other fields of the camera or cameraforefront.
systems, and capture images with a special