When volume production of micro LED can kick off remains unclear, but mini LED used as backlight source of LCD display has already entered mass production in the second half of 2018 thanks to its lower cost and easier application involved, according to Digitimes Research.Besides serving as backlight for LCD display, mini LED can also be applied to support active matrix light emitting display. But backlight application is easier to do and only single-color mini LED is needed in the application, involving simpler production process and lower production cost. Accordingly, mini LED can facilitate the incorporation of mass transfer technology, and its lower prices are more acceptable to consumers, Digitimes Research noted.The application of mini LED as backlight of LCD display boasts high contrast ratio, power conservation and thinning advantages, able to compete with OLED and show distinct performances in LCD display applications. For instance, mini LED can be applied to gaming devices to highlight the scene ambiance and visual feeling at gaming devices, weather-resistance and visibility under strong light at in-vehicle displays, and resolution at TV sets.

PCB chemical and equipment provider Atotech has participated at TPCA Show 2018 to showcase their new products and talked about the company's plans and strategies.Q: What are the core products and competitive advantages of Atotech today?A: Atotech is a leading provider of chemicals and equipment for PCB, package substrate, functional electronics and semiconductor technologies, with a long lasting history in electroplating and surface finishing. As a supplier, we have the reputation for providing solutions that make the difference. We see ourselves as a strategic partner for our customers and help them fulfill the requirements of their customers, the OEMs. Besides leading technology change, our strongest competitive advantage is that we are the only company within our industry that can provide both wet chemicals and equipment as a total production solution.Our business here in Taiwan supports all markets and applications and we are a preferred supplier for every step of the production process for printed circuit boards, package substrates, functional electronics and semiconductors. We offer solutions that include everything from multilayer bonding, desmear and PTH to plating, surface treatment and final finishing technology. For semiconductor our portfolio includes plating for dual damascene, re-distribution layers (RDL) and pillar plating, as well as pad- and under-bump metallization, through-silicon via filling and double side-plating of wafers. This is what we are showcasing here at TPCA 2018, our broad portfolio and latest innovations for each segment.Q: What are the Atotech product highlights of this year's TPCA show?A: Atotech has several new products that are now available to a wider audience. For example, we developed new products (based on mSAP technology) to comply with latest fine line and space requirements especially in mobile applications. Here I like to highlight our BondFilm LDD MSAP, a laser drilling pretreatment for advanced mSAP application, our Printoganth U Plus/T1/TV, a new series of horizontal and vertical electroless copper processes, and our Inpulse and InPro processes for horizontal and vertical BMV and through-hole filling. We also developed new solutions for photoresist stripping, differential etching, bonding enhancement as well as final finishing whether this is ENEPIG or EPAG. All of this is supported by our systems technology, our Uniplate and Horizon lines, of which we have sold and installed more than 1,900 systems until today.Another innovation is our MultiPlate, a next generation ECD plating tool that meets the challenges of wafer- and panel-level packaging. For panel-level packaging we are offering RDL plating of fine lines, copper pads, and BMVs, as well as high speed copper pillar plating. For wafer-level packaging its double side copper plating, RDL plating, high purity and high speed copper plating as well as through via filling. We receive a lot of requests for all these new products from customers and OEMs alike. This makes us proud and moves us forward.Q: In response to the current wave of 5G and AI, does Atotech have any related development ongoing?A: 5G is on its way, and it's all about high-frequency applications. Atotech is already very active in working with customers, developing new processes to meet the very stringent requirements for high-frequency applications. But to answer your question more precisely, one must understand what the challenges are and impacts of AI and 5G implementation vs the current technology available. Let me give you a few examples of the main challenges on 5G and AI products:- First you need enhanced adhesion promotion to reduce your signal loss to fulfil signal integrity requirements- Then you need an optimized electroless copper for high speed signal transmission- Followed by a higher plating uniformity impacting warpage and last but not least- Your reliability and thermal heat dissipation need to improve by an advanced through hole/copper filling processAll these are only a few examples that will help manufacturers to build 5G and AI electronic components, so they can benefit from this growing market in the future.Daniel Schmidt (right), Director, Global Marketing and Technical Training; Bill Kao (left), Business Manager, Atotech

The Southern Taiwan Science Park Bureau has teamed up with IBM Taiwan and StarFab Accelerator to better carry out its TAIRA (Taiwan AI x Robotics) program to accelerate the growth of member startups by providing them with cloud and other resources.TAIRA is an accelerator program designed to fast track startups working on AI and robotics solutions. TAIRA seeks to support startups through equity-free funding, product development resources and early engagement with potential enterprise clients.Under the cooperation, IBM Taiwan will allow startup teams in TAIRA to join its Global Entrepreneur Program (GEP), providing the top-rated applicant with cloud resources valued at US$120,000, compared to US$36,000 for the second place and US$24,000 for the third.Lin Wei-cheng, director general of the STSP Bureau, said that IBM Taiwan and StarFab have jointly sowed the first seeding in the bureau's efforts to incorporate international enterprise resources into the TAIRA program. He hoped that more similar international resources can be injected into the STSP to accelerate the development of startups operating there.Mars Hsu, executive of cloud business at IBM Taiwan, said that besides providing cloud resources, IBM will also help Taiwan startups engage in cooperation and exchanges with other startups in the world, and carry out seamless integration of their solutions and advanced IBM technologies to develop more innovations and generate greater values.StarFab CEO Amanda Liu indicated that her company will do its best to help accelerate the development of startups in Taiwan.STSP Bureau, IBM Taiwan and StarFab team up to bolster startups in southern Taiwan.Photo: Ambrose Huang, Digitimes, October 2018

MAP Movement Pattern Evaluation Center, a Taiwan startup dedicated to personal movement analysis and evaluation, is planning to roll out a series of education videos to help athletes and the general publiuc correct their personal movements and postures to achieve the effect of preventive medicine, according to Lukas Tung, the center's chief operating officer (COO).As movement pattern deviations vary from person to person, individualized evaluation and diagnostic contents are needed, Tung said, adding that MAP's evaluation and diagnostic contents include surgery records, chronic disease history, current sorts of pains, living styles, specific tests, standard tests, generalized conclusions, proposed treatment direction, key images, and evaluation result analysis, all needed to generate proper prescription for therapeutic exercise by patients.Following six months of efforts, the MAP technology team has integrated and further expanded traditional biomechanical technologies. Tung said his center is building databases concerning ankles, knees and hip joints while also updating its image analysis technologies, with a Beta analysis system set to be released by the end of 2018.Tung continued that such technologies are usually available at only national movement analysis centers and biomechanical laboratories to serve professional athletes, but the services are also needed by ordinary people to avoid deviational movements or to correct deviations.Now with the Move & Treat Physical Therapy Center as the technology demonstration base, Tung noted that his center hopes to effectively promote standardized and systemized movement evaluation technologies to the general public in the future.Lukas Tung, COO at MAP Movement Pattern Evaluation CenterPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, October 2018

Taiwan's long-term care services are on the track of positive development, but how to create a dignified and comfortable care environment that can attract patients to stay in or residents of nearby communities to visit is one of the critical factors concerning the upgrades of long-term care industry, according to Chrissy Wang, president of Ren Shin Wellness Park, a long-term care park in the central city of Taichung.To achieve the goal, Wu said her park has offered regular photography and cooking courses, as well as a two-hour cross-fit training class for two days per week, among others, to improve relationships between the park and surrounding residents.Wu stressed that all the efforts are designed to turn her long-term care park into a local- and community-type medical resources and information promotion center. Ren Shin Wellness Park has also set up a long-term care talent cultivation center, providing trainees with 132 hours of fundamental courses including oral care and patient displacement and repositioning skills, Wu disclosed, adding that some one third of 30 trainees per training term have chosen to stay in the long-term care service sector.Wu continued that half of her park's care team members are males, and 80% of the team members are aged under 23, able to provide distinct long-term care experiences and services through big data analysis and apps.

Taiwan startup WeMo, which has operated a scooter-sharing system since its inception in October 2016, is moving to cooperate with theTaipei city government to work out practical smart city solutions by leveraging big data collected over the past two years of services while also continuing expanding the number of electric scooters deployed in Taiwan's capital city.WeMo CEO Jeffrey Wu said that over the past two years, his company has deployed only 200 electric scooters in some Taipei districts, seeking to deeply analyze the needs, habits and feedbacks of users before the scale of its scooter fleet is expanded.In addition, the big data arising from large scooter rides on streets can be further analyzed to serve as reference for WeMo, related partners and the city government for promoting smart city solutions, particularly including monitoring systems for air quality, road quality, and flooding, according to Wu.Under the scooter-sharing system, riders need to download WeMo's app to their mobile devices and find a WeMo scooter nearby, and then reserve and ride the scooter and pay the rental on the app via their smartphones. The trial rate is NT$25 (US$0.80) for the first 10 minutes and NT$2.50 more for any additional minute. Riders can park the scooter at any public motorcycle parking spot.Wu disclosed that his company may adopt a dynamic pricing formula after building models for user and scooter flows, so as to allow flexible rides by users and maintain the spread density of WeMo scooters.

Taiwan startup Youuxi, a digital marketing cloud service provider, has launched an AI-based copywriting platform designed to help businesses or ad agents save costs on seeking marketing channels, writing ad copies and design marketing programs.Company CEO CJ Lin said that as diverse network data sources can help boost the semantic analysis and recognition capabilities of AI-based machines, her company has employed more than 50 copywriters to build a bank of quality ad copies, accumulating more than 10,000 copies on its AI copywriting platform over the past two years to facilitate deep machine learning.Lin said that after users of the platform upload product pictures and simple product instructions and then select their favorite ad copies and styles out of the databank, the system will automatically recommend an ad copy with several optional headlines for choice and amendment by users. In addition, the system will work out the final ad copy and pictures for screening by users, making sure there will be no legal violations or sensitive issues for the markets where the products will be sold.Youuxi is stepping up optimizing the user interfaces of its AI copywriting platform to provide friendly web interfaces for creative ad copywriters and businesses. The company has cooperated with Japan makers of cooking equipment, 104 Job Bank and government units, helping them to write marketing ads, resumes and official documents, respectively.

PTCom Technology, an innovation development partner of MediaTek, is actively developing IoT devices management systems to help hardware makers with IoT connections, and the company will also move to tap the market for smart home devices by leveraging the application of edge computing to voice processing, according company founder JR Cho.Cho said that such applications and services as remote surveillance, notificatinon and control as well as big data recording have matured in the current IoT1.0 era, but the materialization of such applications and services requires the support of a set of devices management system, which is exactly the opportunity for PTCom.Cho said that his company can provide diverse wireless software and hardware integration solutions for different systems, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooh, and NB-IoT.Based on the concept of fog computing, Cho continued, PTCom is adopting an IoT turnkey model, allowing customers or third-party partners to build connections between cloud platforms and terminal devices through software-hardware integrated solutions.PTCom will also move to apply edge computing technology to voice-controlled devices to better tap the lucrative market for smart home devices, Cho indicated, adding that his company will also continue exploring IoT applications to diverse sectors such as smart healthcare, Internet of Vehicles and smart agriculture.

The Center for Measurement Standards under government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is developing a solution integrating images taken by drones for detecting hot spots on PV modules of power stations for maintenance purposes.A PV module is made of either 60 or 72 crystalline silicon solar cells. Hot spots occur when too much current and voltage are accumulated on one or more solar cells of a PV module. Consequently the cells' temperatures are too high and overall power generation decreases, the center explained.The higher the temperature, the shorter wavelength the infrared light emitted. Drones can be used to inspect a large number of PV modules by capturing infrared images for computerized analysis to locate hot spots for repair, the center indicated.Drones cannot fly too high, for infrared images taken may contain unclear or inaccurate informaiton. Therefore, drones should fly low enough to capture many infrared images. The key problem in developing the drone-based solution is how to locate hot spots from many infrared images, the center noted.An ITRI-developed drone for inspecting PV modulesPhoto: Li Yihan, Digitimes, October 2018

The development of IoT technologies and applications has yet to mature, providing better opportunities for startups than large-size enterprises, according to JR Cho, founder of PTCom Technology, a Taiwan-based IoT solutions provider.Cho said that IoT markets are fragmented as there have been no market leaders emerging and no application standards made available. He added that most leading enterprises have been reluctant to invest in a new sector that cannot warrant mass production, which, however, provides a good investment outlet for startups.Cho disclosed that his company once managed to win an order from a Japan customer for upgrading functions of 5,000 pieces of its original devices, as a certain big Taiwan enterprise had declined the client's order because the volume was too small to support volume production.IoT applications are a new sector that will take a long while to ferment. Unlike smartphones or PC products suitable for volume production, IoT devices are not standardized products that can promise proper investment gains, yet more suitable for flexible investment by startups, according to Cho.Cho commented that large enterprises and startups can team up to develop IoT markets, with the latter taking the lead to develop innovative products before the products can be up for volume production by the latter. He also noted that big enterprises can also move to directly establish IoT ecosystems. In fact, Cho indicated, more and more big enterprises are actively exploring their own new innovation momentum. Google and Microsoft, for instance, have set up many research laboratories, and many others are moving to build accelerators or incubators on their own.PTCom Technology founder JR Cho (right)Photo: Chloe Liao, Digitimes, October 2018