The introduction of backside illumination (BSI) technology was the break in camera technology that gave CMOS the edge over CCD. Found in high-end compact cameras as well as the iPhone 4S from Apple Inc. and various Android phones, BSI helps to eliminate noise issues found in earlier frontside illumination (FSI) CMOS sensors, and also enables better picture quality in low-light conditions.
BSI technology is finding demand in higher-end products in which paying a premium for the image sensor is less of a concern, as seen with the iPhone 4 and many Androids on the market today. And even though BSI cost approximately 20 percent more than FSI in 2011, the superior BSI sensor will continue to make inroads into phones. Projected to be in 56 percent of smartphones and higher-end feature handset camera phones during 2012, BSI sensors will be present in 92 percent of the same class of handsets by 2015 as BSI prices come down.
The new sensor that Nokia has in the 808 PureView is apparently a FSI sensor.
"We don't know of any BSI sensors available that are this large."
- Damian Dinning, Nokia
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