In July 2025, Samsung Semiconductor officially put its Nanoprism technology into mass production for the ISOCELL JNP image sensor, bringing a new "synergistic optimization of pixel miniaturization, image quality, and structural design" solution to the smartphone camera module industry. Centered on Meta-Photonics, this technology directly addresses the core pain points of "reduced sensitivity and limited size" faced by modules in high-resolution upgrades, redefining the optical design logic of modules in the era of small pixels and is expected to accelerate the iteration of mid-to-high-end smartphone camera modules.
Currently, smartphone camera modules are confronted with a conflict between "high-resolution demand" and "practical experience limitations": On one hand, consumers' demand for high-definition imaging such as 200MP pixels and 4K videos continues to grow, driving the pixel size of image sensors in modules to shrink from 1.0μm to the 0.5-0.7μm range; on the other hand, pixel shrinkage under traditional technologies leads to two major issues. First, the light input per pixel decreases, resulting in a surge of noise in low-light environments. To compensate, larger lens apertures or sensor sizes are required, which increases module thickness and causes a "camera bump"—contradicting the slim design trend of smartphones. Second, reduced pixel spacing intensifies light crosstalk, and light leakage between color filters degrades color reproduction accuracy, affecting image consistency. According to industry data, the low-light imaging signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of traditional 0.7μm pixel modules is 20% lower on average than that of 1.0μm pixel modules, becoming a key bottleneck restricting the popularization of high-resolution modules.
By restructuring the optical path of modules, Samsung's Nanoprism technology provides a targeted solution to the aforementioned conflicts, with its core value reflected in two key dimensions:
In traditional modules, microlenses correspond one-to-one with color filters. Light that fails to accurately match the filter color (e.g., red light incorrectly entering the green filter area) is directly lost, resulting in a light utilization rate of only about 60%. Through the refraction and dispersion effects of nanoscale metasurface structures, Nanoprism redirects the previously lost light to the corresponding pixels, increasing the light input per pixel by 25% (consistent with the sensitivity improvement data of the ISOCELL JNP sensor). This means that a 0.7μm pixel module equipped with this technology can match the low-light imaging performance of a traditional 1.0μm pixel module—without the need for larger lenses or sensors. Taking a mainstream 50MP module as an example, after adopting the ISOCELL JNP sensor, the lens diameter can be reduced from 6.5mm to 5.8mm, and the module thickness can be decreased by 0.3-0.5mm, effectively avoiding the "camera bump" issue.
Nanoprism technology is integrated into the microlens layer of the image sensor, eliminating the need to modify the structure of core module components such as lenses, lens holders, and connectors. Manufacturers can quickly adapt it based on existing production lines. Meanwhile, Samsung uses Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) to ensure the flatness of nanostructures (with an error controlled within ±5nm) and Thermal Desorption Mass Spectrometry (TDMS) for consistent mass-production testing of nanostructures, ensuring that the optical performance deviation of each sensor is less than 3% and preventing uneven module image quality caused by process fluctuations. This "low transformation cost + high consistency" feature lowers the threshold for mid-to-high-end models to adopt high-resolution modules, promoting the penetration of 200MP-class modules from flagship phones to models in the 3,000-4,000 yuan price range.
Currently, the ISOCELL JNP sensor equipped with Nanoprism technology has entered mass production and been applied to Samsung's and some Android ecosystem brands' flagship models launched in the second half of 2025. The supporting camera modules have completed operator testing, and their performance in low-light scenarios such as portrait shooting and night video recording has improved by 15%-20% compared to previous-generation products (based on data from third-party imaging evaluation institutions). From an industry trend perspective, this technology will bring three major impacts:
Industry analysts believe that in 2026, the shipment volume of smartphone camera modules adopting Nanoprism and similar Meta-Photonics technologies is expected to exceed 80 million units, accounting for over 25% of the global mid-to-high-end module market share. Samsung's technological breakthrough not only builds a competitive barrier for its own image sensor business but also drives the entire camera module industry toward the synergistic development of "high resolution, slim design, and low cost."