Super HAD CCD vs traditional CCD

Sony Japan is gradually updating their webpages as they get ready for their new line-up of 2001 cameras. They are not only going for more uniformity across webpages, but they are also creating new illustrations and images rather than simply recycling the ones from 1999 and 2000.

For example, one illustration is demonstrating the difference in structure between the Super HAD CCD as opposed to what I guess is a traditional CCD. Can anyone translate or understand the Japanese text here?



Two questions:
1) What do you see as the significant differences?

2) Is this implying that other camera makers do not have Super HAD CCD technology?

Sony are masters at marketing. So it would not surprise me that they have exclusive use of this terminology, whereas the CCD itself is no different than other manufacturers who use the SONY-made CCD.

--Ulysses
http://www.pioneeris.net/ashton/F505V/megalist.htm
F505V Gallery Mega-List

The Super version allows more light to add into pixel by directing that in the slots to the pixel. Makes narrower pixels more viable as energy is same a before. Notice change in curve of the imager above each pixel.
RON C

Ulysses said:

Sony Japan is gradually updating their webpages as they get ready
for their new line-up of 2001 cameras. They are not only going for
more uniformity across webpages, but they are also creating new
illustrations and images rather than simply recycling the ones from
1999 and 2000.

For example, one illustration is demonstrating the difference in
structure between the Super HAD CCD as opposed to what I guess is a
traditional CCD. Can anyone translate or understand the Japanese
text here?



Two questions:
1) What do you see as the significant differences?
2) Is this implying that other camera makers do not have Super HAD
CCD technology?

Sony are masters at marketing. So it would not surprise me that
they have exclusive use of this terminology, whereas the CCD itself
is no different than other manufacturers who use the SONY-made CCD.

--
Ulysses
http://www.pioneeris.net/ashton/F505V/megalist.htm
F505V Gallery Mega-List

Click to expand...

Ron C -

Excellent explanation. Thanks for shedding "light" on this. I guess Japanese language skills is not a prerequisite here.

To add even more relevance to what you've said, here is another illustration I've dug up that may help with this little lesson:



More on this comes from Sony Semiconductor:

"Efforts for more pixels and smaller size for CCD have resulted in a smaller aperture area of sensor, presenting the problem of lower sensitivity. To improve this, a lens has been provided on the top of the sensor for focusing, which increases the virtual aperture area of the sensor for higher sensitivity. That is what is called the on-chip microlens. Sony, the first to adopt it for the CCD image sensor, has thus successfully achieved higher sensitivity.

"Furthermore, we have added improvements to the on-chip microlens in developing "Super HAD CCD" technology, which features dramatically improved sensitivity. This "Super HAD CCD" optimizes the shape of on-chip microlenses in order to minimize the invalid area between microlenses on each pixel, which thereby minimizes the lost incident light. By doing so we have improved the sensitivity per unit of area, despite reducing the unit pixels."

GOOD STUFF!!

My question still remains, however: Is Sony the only one using this particular packaging in their cameras, with exclusive use of the trademark term "Super HAD", or do the other companies such as Nikon, Canon, etc., have access to the same tech?

Ron C said:

The Super version allows more light to add into pixel by directing
that in the slots to the pixel. Makes narrower pixels more viable
as energy is same a before. Notice change in curve of the imager
above each pixel.
RON C

Click to expand...

I'm surprised that no one commented on this one. This was the post I was most excited about of all of them put up today.

Any observations on this one and your theories on the resulting image quality?

Ulysses wrote:

Member said:

"Efforts for more pixels and smaller size for CCD have resulted in
a smaller aperture area of sensor, presenting the problem of lower
sensitivity. To improve this, a lens has been provided on the top
of the sensor for focusing, which increases the virtual aperture
area of the sensor for higher sensitivity. That is what is called
the on-chip microlens. Sony, the first to adopt it for the CCD
image sensor, has thus successfully achieved higher sensitivity.

"Furthermore, we have added improvements to the on-chip microlens
in developing "Super HAD CCD" technology, which features
dramatically improved sensitivity. This "Super HAD CCD" optimizes
the shape of on-chip microlenses in order to minimize the invalid
area between microlenses on each pixel, which thereby minimizes the
lost incident light. By doing so we have improved the sensitivity
per unit of area, despite reducing the unit pixels."

My question still remains, however: Is Sony the only one using this
particular packaging in their cameras, with exclusive use of the
trademark term "Super HAD", or do the other companies such as
Nikon, Canon, etc., have access to the same tech?

Click to expand...

Ulysses said:

I'm surprised that no one commented on this one. This was the post
I was most excited about of all of them put up today.

Click to expand...

Cause its not new.

The F505V uses the same technology.

Ivo

No, not new. But that is not what I'm getting at.

We have here for the first time, as far as I know in this forum, a new "look" at this technology. In the past year or more, we have had several questions arise as to what it is that defines "Super HAD" technology, and why should it be any different than that seen in other CCDs.

So now we have information and a visual look at what it is that constitutes this Super HAD tech. But does it make for a better image? Sony thinks so. In the end, it is up to the consumer as to whether or not we think so.

Ivo said:

Cause its not new.

The F505V uses the same technology.

Click to expand...

What Sony says about it :

"3.3 Mega Pixel Super HAD CCD

Being small isn't easy.

Technological advances that have allowed the CCD chip to be reduced in size, while increasing the number of pixels, have also resulted in a smaller aperture area on the CCD sensor. This tighter packing of pixels and reduction in injected light has created problems regarding light sensitivity. Sony's "Super HAD (Hole-accumulation Diode) Technology" overcomes this problem in two ways:

1) By placing "on-chip microlenses" directly on top of each pixel on the CCD we have been able to gather and focus more light directly onto the individual pixels.

2) By optimising the shape of the "on-chip microlens" we have reduced the invalid area between each individual pixels' microlens, and therefore have also reduced the amount of incident light lost.

What Sony's Super HAD Technology means for you is a signal to noise ratio improved by 3 to 4 dB giving a clearer, crisper and more natural high-quality digital image. "

The last paragraph is actually interesting, they claim a better signal to noise ratio of 3 to 4 db, and that's quite a bit. Question now is how to compare this to other cams since they might have the same CCD inside them but don't tell you about it.

Royor

Ulysses said:

No, not new. But that is not what I'm getting at.

We have here for the first time, as far as I know in this forum, a
new "look" at this technology. In the past year or more, we have
had several questions arise as to what it is that defines "Super
HAD" technology, and why should it be any different than that seen
in other CCDs.

So now we have information and a visual look at what it is that
constitutes this Super HAD tech. But does it make for a better
image? Sony thinks so. In the end, it is up to the consumer as to
whether or not we think so.

Click to expand...

Ooops,

sorry.

I saw those pictures (or some very similar diagrams) somewhere on some Sony web sites last year in june - but don´t ask me where... The Sony web sites are deeper and darker than the minotaurus´ maze....

Ivo

Royor said:

Question now is how to compare this to other cams since they might
have the same CCD inside them but don't tell you about it.

Click to expand...

Royor -

Exactly my question. And this all seems to revolve around the microlens more than anything else unless I'm mistaken. So are other manufacturers receiving exactly the same package (chip, microlens, and supporting architecture) as what is placed in the Sony cameras?

After all, we know that different companies can receive a CCD with a different CFA, such as Canon did with the G1. There seem to be several flavors of CCD (AQ, AF, AK, and so forth...)