The OmniVision OV6948 has won the title of the Guinness World Record for “The Smallest Commercially Available Image Sensor.”
How small is the sensor? It measures out to be just a minuscule size of 0.575 mm x 0.575 mm. First, the sensor was developed for mall-outer-diameter medical endoscopes and catheters. Now however, the sensor has become much more versatile. The OV6948 can be used for applications like ental, veterinary, internet-of-things (IoT), industrial, wearable and forensic devices. Also, OmiVision said the OV6948’s OmniBSI+ pixel technology delivers “best-in-class” image quality and low-light performance.
OmniVision OV6948 breakdown
The OV6948 features a 1/36-inch optical format and an image array that can capture 200 x 200 resolution video at up to 30 frames per second (fps). Moving on, the sensor offers low-light sensitivity of 1000 mV/lux-sec. Additionally, the company says its sensor technology with the OV6948 delivers “excellent image quality in terms of color fidelity, sharpness and low noise.”

The OmniVision sensor also consumes a low amount of power. This, in turn, means less heat is generated. This makes the sensor much more comfortable when using an endoscope. Plus, the sensor enables integration with a 4-pin interface and analog data output, capable of data transmission of up to 4 meters.
Overview
- Interface: analog
- Shutter type: rolling shutter
- Resolution: 200 x 200
- CFA (Chroma): RGB Bayer
- Power requirement: 25 mW (with IO consumption)
- Output format: analog
- OmniVision OmniBSI+
- Operating temperature: -20°C to +70°C
- Optical format: 1/36″
- Frame rate: Full at 30 fps
- Pixel Size: 1.75 µm
- Image area: 364 x 364 µm
- Package dimensions: 575 x 575 µm
So, congratulations to OmniVision for winning the Guinness World Record for “The Smallest Commercially Available Image Sensor” with the OV6948.