Forza Silicon has introduced the ForzaFAST-581, the first entry in what the company calls a family of pin-compatible high-speed image sensors. Built on Forza Silicon's back-side illuminated (BSI) CMOS architecture, the 8.3-megapixel sensor captures full 4K UHD resolution, 3840 by 2160, at 1,141 frames per second in 12-bit mode. The company says the design delivers "exceptional sensitivity across the full signal chain" without cropping the frame to hit that speed.
The pixel-level specs back that claim. The sensor uses 5-micron global shutter BSI pixels, rated at 68 dB dynamic range, 80 percent peak quantum efficiency, and parasitic light sensitivity below -100 dB. Engineers running high-speed inline inspection or 3D laser profiling will care about that combination, since many high-speed sensors only reach four-digit frame rates by windowing down to a fraction of the sensor's full resolution. Here, the full 8.3-megapixel array stays active at the top frame rate.
Moving that much data off-chip requires a wide interface. The ForzaFAST-581 outputs through 16 differential CML serial ports running at up to 7.44 Gbps each, for a combined 119 Gbps. A companion technical paper from the same design team, published in the journal Sensors and presented at the International Image Sensor Workshop in Hyogo, Japan, in June 2025, describes the serializer behind that throughput: an initial stage of CMOS multiplexers built with TSPC logic for low-power operation at lower frequencies, followed by CML multiplexer stages for the fastest serialization, with a one-clock-delayed post-emphasis path added to preserve signal integrity at the highest data rates.
Forza Silicon is positioning the sensor for high-speed inspection, motion capture, 3D laser profiling, cinematography and broadcast, and is offering it in both monochrome and color versions. The pin-compatible framing matters for integrators: it suggests future family members can slot into the same board and optical designs while Forza Silicon scales resolution or frame rate up or down. No timeline for additional family members has been disclosed.
