Sony today announced plans to further invest in Sony Semiconductor Corporation in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016 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 and Yamagata Technology Center.

Through investments, Sony plans to increase 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 45 billion yen, comprising approximately 24 billion yen of investments in Nagasaki TEC and approximately 21 billion yen of investments in Yamagata TEC.

Stacked CMOS image sensors deliver superior image quality and advanced functionality in a compact size. Demand for these image sensors is anticipated to further increase, particularly within the expanding market for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.