Samsung is working on small-pixel, high-resolution camera sensors

Samsung and Fujifilm are collaborating on camera sensors that could have smaller pixels than are currently possible to enable higher resolutions in smartphone cameras without the need for larger sensors.

Fujifilm has developed a material that Samsung places between the pixels, instead of the metal separation that is between current Isocell camera pixels, Samsung reports. Because the new material can go higher than the metal barrier, crosstalk is less than with Isocell camera sensors and pixels can be smaller than they are now.

Thanks to Isocell Plus, Samsung says it is working on sensors with pixels smaller than 0.8 microns. This allows the manufacturer to make sensors with higher resolutions than is currently possible without the sensors having to be larger. Many manufacturers do not have much room for the camera in the housing of smartphones.

It is unknown how great the demand is for such camera sensors. In recent years, many high-end phones have stuck at a resolution of around twelve megapixels, while the camera sensors often have larger pixels than smaller ones. Samsung reports that sensors with larger pixels and lower resolutions can also benefit from the lower crosstalk and higher light sensitivity of the Isocell Plus technology.