Sony increases production capacity for CMOS sensors

Sony plans to further invest in Sony Semiconductor Corporation in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016 (FY15) in order to increase its production capacity for stacked CMOS image sensors. This investment is intended primarily to augment production facilities used in the mastering processes and layering and futher downstream processes for stacked CMOS image sensors at Sony Semiconductor's Nagasaki Technology Center (Nagasaki TEC) and Yamagata Technology Center (Yamagata TEC). With this investment – along with the one announced in February – the company intends to increase its total production capacity for image sensors from the current level of approximately 60'000 wafers per month to the level of approximately 87'000 wafers per month by the end of September 2016. The total additional investment amount is projected to be approximately JPY 45 billio (roughly EUR 345.5 million), comprising approximately JPY 24 billion (roughly EUR 184.3 million) of investments in Nagasaki TEC and approximately JPY 21 billion (EUR 161.2 million) of investments in Yamagata TEC.