FDK Commercializes Tiny DC/DC Converter
Matsushita Develops Signal Processing IC for Digital Still Cameras
Canon Develops 11-Mpixel CMOS Sensor for Digital Still Cameras
Miyota Bolsters Output of Ferroelectric Micro LCDs
Toshiba to Ship Bluetooth Card in SD Card Format
Sanyo Electric Prototypes 15-Inch OEL Display
Seiko Epson's 3D MCM Technology
Infineon Pushing Chip Stacking Technology for Cellular Phones

FDK of Japan announced that the company has developed a tiny DC/DC converter that the company claims is the smallest in the world. It plans to market the new devices, called the GM series, for applications in voltage regulation in cellular phones and digital still cameras. The new converter measures 3.4 mm (W) x 3.0 mm (L) x 1.8 mm (H). FDK minimized the size primarily by making the inductor, which is a key component of the converter, smaller. FDK also applied a ferrite material in the fabrication of the device, reducing power loss to a third of previous levels. In addition, the firm developed a high-density packaging technology for packaging silver together with the newly developed ferrite with a small electrical resistance.

FDK plans to begin sample shipments of GM series converters in October 2002. The company’s announced goal is to achieve 700 million yen ($5.83 million @ yen 120/$US 1) in sales with the new converter during fiscal 2003 (April 2003 to March 2004). In three years, FDK hopes to turn the new converter into a flagship product that will generate several tens of billion yen in sales. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Matsushita Electric Industrial Company, Ltd. (MELCO) has developed a signal processing IC that contains a timing generator to operate the CCD in digital still cameras. The new IC receives analog electrical signals from the CCD, removes noise, and then converts the signals to digital form after adjusting signal amplitude. According to Matsushita, the new IC will simplify printed circuit board design and reduce development time for new digital still cameras by about 30 percent. The new IC can also reduce power consumption by as much as 30 percent compared to existing signal processing ICs. The device is packaged on a silicon substrate, with package size equivalent to existing signal processing IC modules. MELCO has prepared three models for use in digital still cameras and digital camcorders. The price for samples of the new IC is 450 - 600 yen ($3.75 -$5 @ yen 120/$ US 1) per unit. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Canon has developed a CMOS sensor which, according to reports in the Japanese trade press, has a total of 11.1 million effective pixels. The company will begin mass production of the new CMOS sensor soon and will use it in its upper-end digital single-reflex camera, a product which targets professional users. This is the first time that a company has commercialized an image sensor having over 10 million pixels.

CMOS sensors are known for low power consumption in comparison to CCD, the second type of image sensors used widely in digital still cameras. According to Canon researchers, their new sensor uses 1/8 the power of a CCD with the same pixel count, were such a CCD to exist.

Canon applied a two-channel structure to read in electrical signals that the device receives. Compared to the one channel method, which has been the conventional approach, the Canon designers have successfully doubled the read-in speed. For this reason, although the pixel count is 80 percent greater than the 6.3 million pixel CMOS sensor which represented the largest pixel count CMOS sensor existing prior to Canon’s introduction, the new CMOS sensor can capture three frames per second.

Canon announced on September 24, 2002 that, in late-November 2002, the company will debut an EOS-1Ds digital still camera that employs the new CMOS sensor. The camera is expected to sell for about 1 million yen ($8,333 @ yen 120/$US 1), excluding sales tax. Sample images taken by a beta model EOS-1Ds beta version are available at http://www.digitalcamera.jp/report/EOS-1Ds-020924/index.htm. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Miyota, an affiliate of Citizen Watch, will boost output of ferroelectric micro LCDs to meet increasing demand for applications in the viewfinders of camcorders. The company, according to reports in the business press in Japan, will invest about 2 billion yen ($16.67 million @ yen 120/$US 1) to boost its annual capacity from 1 million units to 4 million units.

In a ferroelectric micro LCD, the space between a silicon wafer and a glass substrate is filled with liquid crystal. When voltage is applied directly to the wafer, which is patterned with electronic circuits, and the charge transmitted to the liquid crystal, a one-inch format ferroelectric micro LCD can display images with a level of resolution equivalent to that of a 10-inch TFT-LCD display.

Conventional viewfinders in camcorders uses lens that the user peers through. However, the gap between the image in the finder and the actual image as captured by the image sensor can be substantial. Viewfinders based on LCDs are becoming popular, particularly in professional models, as the LCD finder shows the same image that will be captured by the camera.

An English-language description of Miyota’s Ferroelectric micro LCD can be found at Miyota’s Web site:

http://www.miyota.com/en/product/index.html [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Toshiba Corporation will begin shipping a Bluetooth wireless communications card in SD Card format, called the "SDIO Card Type-B for Bluetooth", to system manufacturers in October 2002. By inserting the Bluetooth card in the SD card slot of a consumer electronics product, the user can add short-range data communications capabilities to the product. The sample price of the new card has been set at 10,000 yen ($83 @ yen 120/$US 1).

Toshiba initially developed a Bluetooth communications card, the CEX0106A, for its Pocket PC-based PDAs, GENIO 3 series. The CEX0106A made its debut in July 2001. Compared to the CEX0106A, the new card is smaller and uses about 50 percent less power for transmitting and receiving data. Based on the Bluetooth Version 1.1. standard, the SDIO Card Type-B for Bluetooth targets applications in mobile devices.

Toshiba plans to produce 50,000 units a month. The SDIO Card measures 24 mm x 40 mm x 2.1 mm. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Sanyo Electric announced that it has developed a 15-inch OEL (Organic Electroluminescent) display. The company used a white OEL material, which has high emission efficiency and which was developed jointly with Eastman Kodak.

Sanyo Electric’s new OEL display uses an active-matrix driving method. With a display area of 326.4 mm x 183.6 mm, the display has 1280 x 720 pixels, and can display 262,144 colors. According to recent reports in Japan, the director of the Technology Development Division of Sanyo Electric wants to see the technology reach commercial markets in two to three years.

OEL displays differ from conventional LCD technology, in that the pixel elements self-emit light when electricity is applied. Since the display has this self-emitting characteristic, it can be brighter, thinner, and lighter than an LCD of comparable format, as the LCD requires a backlight. In addition, OEL technology boasts fast response speeds and a wide viewing angle, making it particularly suitable for displaying video. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Seiko Epson has developed technology to assemble multiple chips on FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) and then, by folding the FPC, to fabricate a 3D package. The new technology is named Folded Multi Chip Module (Folded-MCM). On three corners of a cross-shaped FPC, chips are flip-chip-attached using ACF (Anisotropic Conductive Film). The remaining corner is used for supporting a connector, or for mounting a solder ball to support a connection to the packaging substrate. Each corner, except that which is reserved for the external connection, is then folded to form a 3D package. Using this Folded MCM technique, Seiko Epson has achieved a 0.9-mm thickness in a three-layer package. The new package, according to Seiko Epson representations, provides flexibility that will allow it to be adapted for continuing use as chips continue to shrink. Folded MCM supports the use of a smaller packaging area, permitting modules to occupy spaces equivalent to approximately 70 percent of a wire-bonded stacked package, at costs equivalent to those of wire-bonded stacked packages, the company claims.

Seiko Epson manufactures Folded-MCM packages at its Sakata Plant in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Output capacity is about 500,000 units a month. The company is utilizing commercially available CSP manufacturing equipment for production, with folding equipment being developed in-house. The company is planning various combinations of devices for the new package, including ASIC, DSP, SRAM, and flash memory. Epson is also developing substrate stacked type CSPs and die level stacked CSPs. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Infineon of Germany, the largest supplier of GSM chipsets, is working to expand its product offerings, according to remarks published by Nikkei Business Publications and attributed to Mr. Ulrich Hamann, CEO of the company’s Wireless Solutions Business Group. Infineon began responding to the customization requests of individual handset manufacturers, as well as development of modules for wireless base stations, after acquiring Ericsson’s microelectronics operation, Ericsson Microelectronics, in June 2002. The group is now developing and selling products in five general categories: (1) ASSPs for GSM and other cellular phones; 2) ICs for short-range wireless communications; 3) ICs for LAN applications; 4) ICs for wireless infrastructure elements such as base stations; and 5) ASICs and modules for wireless handsets. The first three of these are existing lines of business, whereas Infineon just entered (4) and (5) this year.

Infineon holds the largest share in ASSPs for GSM handsets. The company supplies RF ICs to Nokia, and baseband-processing chips to Siemens and others. Infineon also supplies RF ICs to a cellular phone supplier in Japan which is producing a 3G (W-CDMA) wireless handset for NTT DoCoMo.

Infineon has developed a stacked package technology called F2F (Face 2 Face) for the integration of memory devices. The firm has sample packages ready for shipment and has achieved stacking of six layers. Depending on the requirements of handset manufacturers, memory capacity can be adjusted and short-range wireless communications chips added to the mix. By using stack package technology, Infineon claims it can achieve integration at a lower cost than by integrating functional blocks which employ different manufacturing processes, such as baseband processors and non-volatile memories. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]