The KODAK KAF-1300 Image Sensor has been named one of the 25 Microchips That Shook the World in the May issue of IEEE Spectrum magazine.  IEEE Spectrum is the flagship publication of the IEEE, the world's largest professional technology association.  In this article, they highlight 25 semiconductor chips that were (in their words) "cutting-edge", "out of the box", and "ahead of their time".   And we're pretty excited that one of them is a CCD image sensor from Kodak.



The KODAK KAF-1300 Image Sensor is a 1.3 megapixel CCD that was used in the first SLR digital camera - the KODAK PROFESSIONAL Digital Camera System.  This camera, which combined Kodak electronics for image capture and processing with a Nikon film camera body, sparked the digital photography revolution.  In addition, the KAF-1300 image sensor used in this camera included technologies that served as the building blocks for the high-performance CCD devices Kodak sells today for both professional photography as well as other applied imaging markets.  

The full list of chips honored by IEEE Spectrum is very impressive, and includes the Intel 8088 Microprocessor (the predecessor to the CPU's used in almost all the world's PCs today), NAND Flash Memory (used today in SD storage cards and USB sticks), and the MP3 decoder used in the first portable media player (the predecessor to the iPod).  Plus the processor used in the Apple I computer (as well as Nintendo and Atari game units).  And the chip used in digital projectors and movie theaters around the world.  And the speech synthesizer chip from the Texas Instruments' Speak & Spell toy (used by E.T. to "phone home").  

Pretty rarified air, when you think about all of the advances that have taken place in semiconductor chips.

And not bad good company for a ground-breaking CCD from Kodak.