Performance Evaluation of MTF Peak Detection Methods by a Statistical Analysis for Phone Camera Modules

To evaluate the autofocusing performance of recent mobile phone cameras, it is necessary to determine the peak position of the center field MTF (Modulation Transfer Function), -known as the through focus MTF- of the module. However, the MTF peak position found by conventional methods deviates from the ideal position due to the focus scanning resolution of mobile phone cameras. This inaccurate peak position results in false judgements of the optical performance, leading to yield losses or customer complaints. An increase in the focus scanning resolution can address this problem, but the manufacturing UPH (Unit per Hour) level will also unfortunately increase as well, resulting in a loss of manufacturing capabilities. In this paper, several fitting models are studied to find an accurate MTF peak position within a short period of time. With an analysis of a large amount of manufacturing data, it is demonstrated that the fitting methods can reduce false judgements and simultaneously increase the capabilities of the manufacturing system.