June 20, 2006 Now here's something to bring a smile to the dial of photographic enthusiasts. Hot on the heels of Hasselblad's 39 megapixel camera comes the news that the 100 megapixel barrier has been broken. DALSA Semiconductor announced yesterday that it has successfully fabricated and delivered the world’s highest resolution image sensor chip to its customer, Semiconductor Technology Associates (STA). The CCD device (pictured), which measures approximately four inches by four inches, has a total resolution of over 111 million pixels (10,560 pixels x 10,560 pixels). It is the world’s first imager to break the 100 Megapixel barrier.

STA developed the chip for the Astrometry Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO), funded by the Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research Program. The device will assist USNO in the determination of the positions and motions of stars, solar system objects and the establishment of celestial reference frames.

DALSA Semiconductor manufactured the device for STA at its wafer fabrication facility in Bromont, Quebec.