After many years of construction, most developed nations now have fiber-to-the-building (FTTB). However, FTTB alone will not be enough to satisfy the bandwidth demands of the various types of cloud applications in the near future. Therefore, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) is a must-have. Tatung has spent time and effort developing "bendable optical cables" in order to solve the last mile problem in optical fiber establishment.With the development of 4G, demands for Triple-Play multimedia transmission of voice, data, and video will undoubtedly and rapidly increase. Fiber optic communication, which provides thousands times higher bandwidth than that of copper cables, is more capable of supporting such kind of massive transmissions, and will likely become the market mainstream.It is worth mentioning that in last 10 years, the price of active equipment for fiber optic communications has dropped by two thirds. Such price decline not only allows the cost for construction and maintenance to be reasonable. It also makes the popularization of fiber optic communications easier. Therefore, from FTTB to FTTH, crossing the last-mile of fiber optics establishment - connecting fiber to the user end has become an inevitable approach.M.Y. Hsieh, Senior General Manager of the Power Equipment Business Unit of Tatung's Power Business Group, explains the transmission status of cloud applications. Hsieh says, for uploading data to the cloud, the large amounts of data "produced" by front-end users are not transmitted to the base stationsimply via wireless or microwave mediums. These data are aggregated into fixed mediums and then transmitted to back-end data centers via fiber optic routes. This is why 4G service providers are all anxious to obtain control of physical construction, which allows them to lay more fiber optic cables.Despite the fact that FTTH is a clear trend, we now still faces many challenges for solving the last mile problem of optical fiber establishment. Hsieh points out that the diameter of traditional G.652D fiber optic cables is 10-12mm, which requires at least 120 degrees of turning space. It is impossible for this type of cables to be laid in the narrow low-voltage electrical pipelines of traditional buildings. It is also difficult for such fiber optic cables to be laid in already decorated homes. While home decorations make interior space with many corners, traditional fiber optic cables are not capable of being bent to such extent. Besides, the stretch and stress resistance of traditional fiber optic cables are not sufficient for allowing them to be installed in crowded pipelines, or routed through walls or other obstacles, either.Bendable optical cables have small external diameters, allowing them to be laid in crowded shared pipelinesIn order to solve the aforementioned challenges, Tatung spent over two years developing bendable optical cables, which are not only compliant with international ITU G.657 standards in terms of fiber optic transmissions, but also have reduced diameters (3mm), small turning angles (90 degrees), as well as good G.652D connection compatibility (reducing the amount of loss at connection points). Therefore, this type of cable is capable of overcoming the issues caused by structures with many corners in decorated homes. It's suitable for being laid in existing pipelines. And, this type of cable is even capable of passing through the smallest pipelines and can withstand forces or pressure from other cables due to its strong stretch/stress resistance. To sum, it is clear that all of these features have been carefully designed to solve the problems happening in FTTH establishment.It is also worth mentioning that in the past, there have been some concerns about FTTH. The outer layers of traditional fiber optic cables are made by various types of plastic materials such as PVC. In the case of a fire, these materials are easily flammable and would produce large amounts of smoke, which is extremely hazardous to the human body. Due to these considerations, Tatung's bendable optical cables do not contain any heavy metals and comply with the RoHS requirements of the European Union. Furthermore, Tatung adopts eco-friendly and fire-retardant material - Low Smoke Halogen Free - to produce the outer layer of cables; so, these cables would be unlikely flammable and would not produce hazardous smokes.In addition, Tatung has also considerately incorporated copper cable alike installation methods into its bendable optical cable products. That is, the installation of Tatung's cables is just like what people do while installing coaxial cables. Without support of any professional tool, people can install Tatung's cables easily by connecting its end with connectors. This will not only boost the speed, but also the convenience of installation.Hsieh adds that Tatung's bendable optical cables are suitable for all kinds of new and old buildings with many interior corners, as well as for homes and offices with shared cable pipelines. Furthermore, if cable ducts are not available in old buildings, the small dimensions and bendable properties of Tatung's cables can be easily laid on wall by tying them up or fixing them with U-shaped nails.So far, Tatung's bendable optical cables have been installed in various commercial buildings, factories, as well as luxury homes. The number of installations continues increasing. In terms of promoting these cables, Tatung will do in via 3 approaches. First, Tatung will aggressively introduce and promote this product to the Electrical Engineers Association. Second, Tatung will work with 4G systems providers and promote FTTH applications together. Finally, to cooperate with government's policies for fiber optic-equipped buildings and architectures, Tatung will aggressively promote such kind of cables to construction and property development companies, which will help us realizing the vision of fiber-optic enabled homes as well as smart living.M.Y. Hsieh, Senior General Manager, Power Equipment Business Unit, Power Business Group, Tatung Corporation

Yes we can! For the past 19 years, EverFocus has been supporting and working with our partners down the river of success. "Partner for growth" is what EverFocus has been doing and we believed that to provide something that can efficiently solve the problems is what we can do with our partners to grow together. To provide something valuable to the world has always been our goal to contribute to the society.Surveillance is not merely a video thing, but plenty of integration that brings a huge amount of data. Therefore, dealing with the data, and making the data useful is what we want now and even to the future. What we think and do can be traced from EverFocus' philosophy: to make our life easier and better. This is not only EverFocus' dream, but what people want in their lives.Think about what will happen if the data have been processed for intelligent actions. Imagine a CO2 monitor installed in a classroom. When the air quality is measured as low, the alarm will sound for notification. And that's it. No more further automatic actions. What if we gather the data from a CO2 monitor to a central management system? The data will be stored, the air-conditioning systems will be automatically adjusted to the optimal mode and the door or window can be opened automatically. That's it? Not really! The data will be recorded to the system and the system can produce an annual analysis report in visualized diagram/text or any formats, presenting a broader trend.What can we benefit from this? First, the classroom automation gives us a better indoor environmental quality and can make people feel fresh, work efficiently and it's also good for the health. Moreover, analysis reports help us for future improvement. This is what EverFocus wants to do. What we want to do is to contribute to the surveillance environment, not only limited to the present, but prevent from what will happen in the future. Thus, EverFocus presents the Genie XMS to the world, the next generation central management system to fulfill future requirements.Designed with a flexible architecture, the central management system is able to connect all kinds of devices, sensors, alarm and multiple service systems to fit customer requirements. Integration/customization service is the reason why the Genie XMS has been launched to the market.EverFocus provides a full range of product line-up. But that's just not enough. We focus on the solution-based services and we are ready for various solution services encountered on our way.About EverFocus Electronics CorporationEverFocus Electronics Corporation (TWSE: 5484) is a leading integrated security solution provider. Our lineup includes CMS, IP, HD-SDI, analog, mobile surveillance solutions, access control systems, as well as surveillance and access control peripherals. EverFocus has offices globally, located in Taiwan, the U.S.A, Germany, China, Japan, and India. For more information, please visit http://www.everfocus.com.tw/EverFocus' philosophy to make our life easier and better

DIY security systems became instant hits when they were introduced to the industry due to their practicality and convenience. With the increasing need of smart home systems, the global alarm systems supplier LuxHome is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated online shopping site www.myluxhome.com is now live to customers in the United Kingdom. LuxHome's full line of signature products can be shipped to anywhere in the United Kingdom, including Northern and Southern Ireland.Opening an e-commerce store and making innovative, high-quality, affordable alarm systems available to the United Kingdom are important steps of LuxHome's long-term strategy to be the world's number one supplier. LuxHome will continue to look for more opportunities to support stores from different regions and of different languages, seeking to provide millions more people worldwide of our service, products, and brand values.LuxHome provides a wide range of products such as alarm kits, door/window contacts, motion sensors, sirens, and security lightings. The network scale of the security systems is flexible, as multiple applications are feasible and we provide several accessories for you to expand the system.LuxHome revealed its greatly anticipated 2.4GHz Smart Home Security System LHK110EK designed for a simpler and more straightforward installation. The LuxHome LHK110EK is a wireless all-in-one smart home security system that integrates the functions of alarm, CCTV, DVR and home automation devices in one intelligent 7 inch Touch Panel console. It provides a friendly and comprehensive graphic user interface for easy installation and management, and together with the SMA Smartphone App, a complete remote management and control over the internet anytime, anywhere.Safer Greener Smarter is the motto and the core value of the LuxHome brand. LuxHome is ready to create smart home solutions that enhance the quality of life. For more information about LuxHome smart home products, please visit our official website at http://www.myluxhome.com/.LuxHome's full line of signature products can be shipped to anywhere in the United Kingdom, including Northern and Southern Ireland.

Indium Corporation was presented with the Global Technology Award for its BiAgX solder paste at SMTA International in Rosemont, Ill. on Tuesday, September 30. Sponsored by Global SMT & Packaging, the Global Technology Awards have acknowledged outstanding innovations in the printed circuit board assembly and packaging industry for the past 10 years.BiAgX was created specifically for high-temperature die-attach applications in discrete power devices. Designed as a drop-in replacement for standard high Pb-containing solder pastes, it has passed MSL1, HAST, and thermal cycle testing at several power semiconductor customers.BiAgX is suited for small, low-voltage QFN packages that are used in portable electronics, such as smartphones and tablets, automotive assemblies, and industrial applications. BiAgX excels in high junction-temperature environments in excess of 150 degrees C. It requires minimal process adjustments and no extra capital expenditure for customers converting from a standard high Pb-containing solder paste-based die-attach process.BiAgX addresses both customer demands and legislative changes that eliminate lead from high-melting die-attach applications. It is both Pb-free and Sb-free and does not contain costly specialty materials, such as nanosilver or sintering aids.BiAgX reflows, solders, wets, and solidifies just like any other solder paste, and is available in both dispensing and printing forms. Fluxes are cleanable with standard cleaning chemistries and processes. For more information about BiAgX, visit http://www.indium.com/biagx, or email amackie@indium.com.Indium Corporation is a premier materials manufacturer and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, solar, thin-film, and thermal management markets. Products include solders and fluxes; brazes; thermal interface materials; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, germanium, and tin metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil. Founded in 1934, Indium has global technical support and factories located in China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the USA.

Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857, NYSE: ATE) announced that a new mold thickness metrology system, the TS9000, for measuring the thickness of semiconductor packaging, is available for purchase. The system is based on advances in Terahertz (THz) technology pioneered by Advantest.The TS9000 Mold Thickness Analysis (MTA) System is a new metrology tool that performs non-destructive analysis of the thickness of semiconductor packaging. Meeting the high standards of speed and accuracy required for high-volume manufacturing, its innovative inspection capabilities are expected to contribute significantly to product quality improvement amid the trends towards smaller device sizes and higher integration, driven in part by the widespread adoption of smartphones and tablets.Already installed and in use, the TS9000 heralds a new product family of analysis systems for high-volume manufacturing. Future systems from the THz product family will target the pharmaceutical, automotive, ceramic and other industrial markets in addition to semiconductors. Advantest is leveraging its leading capabilities in terahertz technology to bring cutting-edge non-destructive analysis to industrial production lines.BackgroundThe worldwide embrace of smartphones and other advanced consumer electronics is driving demand for smaller, more highly integrated semiconductor devices. Semiconductor packages for this market must be compact, thin, and tough enough to stand up to mobile usage. The semiconductor industry has few higher priorities than achieving an optimal balance of package durability and thinness.However, existing metrology methods are not suitable for volume production lines. Manufacturers have had to test package thickness by inspecting samples late in the production process. Existing metrology methods are slow, laborious and destructive and not compatible with quality control in a high volume environment. This makes it difficult to assess the quality of the entire production run and problematic to trace the root cause of any defects in the final product.Advantest's TS9000 solves these issues by enabling rapid, repeatable, and highly accurate measurements of mold thickness, without the limitations of existing measurement methods. Highly adaptable, it can be deployed at various points in the assembly and packaging process, even immediately after the curing process, enabling earlier detection of production issues and improving product quality and yield.Product Features*Non-Destructive Terahertz Technology: The TS9000 exploits the unique characteristics of terahertz radiation, which have high penetration into many materials, including ceramics, silicon and plastic polymers, even if those materials are optically opaque. This allows for non-destructive layer thickness measurements in a wide variety of materials.*Suitable for High Volume Manufacturing Environments: Advantest's proprietary technologies, such as rapid fiber coupled pulsed laser generation and detection of THz waves, enable the TS9000 to meet the highest industry standards for measurement speed and accuracy. This first-in-class system delivers throughput suitable for a high-volume manufacturing environment.*Improved Quality Control: The TS9000 can be implemented early in the process and be used to measure strip packages - before units are cut into single devices. This, coupled with the significantly higher throughput compared to conventional mold thickness measurements, makes this a tool which can drastically improve process quality control.*Diverse Form Factors: In addition to strip units, the highly adaptable TS9000 supports measurement of individual devices handled using industry standard JEDEC trays, making it flexible and compatible with existing sample handling methods.Key SpecificationsApplication: Semiconductor package thickness inspection Measurable Layer thickness: 30μm ~ 600μmAccuracy: better than 3μmOperating environment: Temperature: +10 degrees C ~ +30 degrees C; humidity: <80%Dimensions: Analysis unit: 430 (W) × 540 (D) × 330 (H) mm / 30 kg or lessOptical unit: 430 (W) × 240 (D) × 220 (H) mm / 14 kg or lessMeasurement unit: 1050 (W) × 650 (D) × 450 (H) mm/67kg or lessTS9000 measurement unit (left), controller (right), and analysis software screenshot (rear).

The race to thinner devices with high performance pushes the advanced packaging industry toward smaller form factor and thinner packages, some as small as a just a few hundred microns (less than 0.3 mm) in height. To accommodate this rapid miniaturization, we are seeing a growing number of trends to improve existing processing techniques.One such trend is the utilization of inkjet technology to replace traditional engraving techniques for package marking via a fully-additive non-contacting deposition method. When executed correctly, inkjet marking offers equivalent permanence to traditional engraving techniques to protect against fading or peeling but completely offsets the risk of the heat damage to the IC chip inside the semiconductor package. As an added benefit, this flexible, cost-effective solution also provides faster and clearer printing over the conventional method of engraving through laser cutting.Orbotech Ltd., a leading provider of digital production solutions for the micro-electronics industry, offers a cutting-edge inkjet printer designed to answer the needs of the IC packaging market. "We have developed our inkjet printer to exceed the market's demands," said Arik Gordon, Orbotech's Printed Circuit Board Division President. "Orbotech Inkjet 500 is on site at several leading Advanced IC packaging manufacturers and is currently being utilizing for a range of cutting-edge applications." Orbotech is also currently working in cooperation with several leading ink and chemical R&D centers on the latest cutting-edge developments for the consumer electronics manufacturing industry.Orbotech's patented DotStream Technology directly prints the ink onto the substrate using an innovative inkjet chemical deposition control. This ensures accurate pattern printing and efficient bond formation between the ink and the chip surface.Printing and ultraviolet irradiation are carried out simultaneously to solidify the ink to the package surface. This permanent adhesion process not only guarantees safety of the chip, but also longevity of the package by eliminating peeling or fading."As the need for smaller electronic components increases at an unprecedented rate and in parallel the demand for smaller and thinner Advanced IC packages increases, conventional marking techniques pose a high risk of damaging the IC chip inside the package," explains Micha Perlman, General Manager of Orbotech's Italy-based inkjet development and production center. "Orbotech's Inkjet 500 offers a smarter and safer CAM-ready alternative to traditional laser marking for permanent legends and 2D barcode marking with higher contrast and clearer resolution."This flexible system supports a wide range of ink types and guarantees unmatched adhesion for a large variety of ink types to ensure easy, scalable manufacturing processes that are simple to manage. DotStream Technology provides advanced drop control and utilizes sophisticated algorithms for digital data optimization and optimal drop distribution per pixel for precisely accurate results. High registration accuracy (±35 μm) supports high-contrast printing of small character sizes (down to 0.3 mm) across a large range of font types for optimal clarity. This ensures that the process is not only safer, but also produces cleaner and clearer high-resolution and high-contrast permanent markings.This flexible system supports a wide range of ink types and guarantees unmatched adhesion for a large variety of ink types to ensure easy, scalable manufacturing processes that are simple to manage. DotStream Technology provides advanced drop control and utilizes sophisticated algorithms for digital data optimization and optimal drop distribution per pixel for precisely accurate results. High registration accuracy (±35 μm) supports high-contrast printing of small character sizes (down to 0.3 mm) across a large range of font types for optimal clarity. This ensures that the process is not only safer, but also produces cleaner and clearer high-resolution and high-contrast permanent markings.Fully-additive non-contacting inkjet printing now guarantees high-contrast permanent ink adhesion while protecting the chip inside the packageExample of Orbotech Inkjet 500's high-contrast, clear results across a range of character sizes (down to 0.3 mm)Example of underfill dam printing using the Orbotech Inkjet 500

Imagination Technologies, a global leader in silicon intellectual property (SIP), held its annual summit recently in Taiwan, with separate sessions in Hsinchu and Taipei. Company CEO Hossein Yassaie and key partners attended the event and introduced the latest trends in the market and technology development.The ever-closer integration of mobile and cloud technologies has been accompanied by rapid advances in next-generation smart applications such as those for Internet of Things (IoT), wearable devices, and connected cars. In the 2014 summit, Imagination showcased its turnkey SoC IP solutions, such as those for graphics, video, communications, and CPU applications, helping customers bring innovative designs into reality in response to the latest market trends.Imagination's product portfolio continues to expand from graphic IP to audio, video, imaging and RF, with the addition of the MIPS CPU series last year, enabling Imagination to deliver comprehensive services to customers, indicated Maxwell Lin, Director of Sales, Taiwan Imagination Inc. in his welcome address. Imagination will unveil its newest 64-bit MIPS CPU, which will not only be a trend-setting product, but also lift Imagination's position in the CPU IP market and offer the industry an alternative with superior features.Opportunity Opens up Where Market TurnsHossein Yassaie, CEO, Imagination, in his keynote speech entitled "Market Turning Point Will Open Up Infinite Business Opportunities," pointed out that from the perspective of a global IP leader, the process of developing an innovative technology would take as long as four to six years starting from the IP core, then SoC, and finally the end product on the market. IP providers have to grasp market and technology trends, so that they can accurately predict future advancements and lead product development in the right direction."This has always been Imagination's spirit of innovation, persistently devoting resources to developing new technology that will come into use in the future, much as our previous success in bringing GPU's extensive applications to mobile devices," said Yassaie.Yassaie noted that there are multiple crucial market trends, some of which are being highlighted in the smartphone and tablet segments. The mobile trends as exemplified by smartphones and tablets are reaching maturity and the concept of mobile connectivity is spreading to other market segments, such as that of connected cars. Wearable devices form another emerging market where low power consumption is crucial and designers must be able to come up with ingenious solutions to deliver consumer satisfaction.Furthermore, thanks to the industry's effort in making open architecture. For example, programming languages such as HTML5 and LLVM are able to support various operating systems and deliver higher performance.The IoT and cloud computing are also playing key roles, driving the needs for security technologies. According to Moore's Law, the growth of the semiconductor industry is reaching its limit. But this will not put a cap on the development of the industry and the technologies. The above-mentioned applications will help bring semiconductor technology everywhere in people's lives. Therefore, the ability to offer winning solutions is the key to success, and the importance of domain knowledge matters more than ever before.Opportunities, emphasized Yassaie, are everywhere under the trends, offered by wearable devices, home wireless networks, automation and robotics, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), IoT devices for use in medical care, energy, and agriculture, instant and Big Data analytics, which will bring a completely new look to the industry development.Imagination's Unique IP SolutionsImagination's IP product portfolio includes the Ensigma communication processor, PowerVR graphic and video processor, and MIPS general purpose processor, featuring low power consumption and compact area, providing answer to the challenges of next generation applications and assisting customers in developing superior network SoC solutions, indicated Yassaie.Imagination technologies are built into many products in mobile, consumer electronics, multimedia, computing, network, automobile, and energy applications, with accumulative shipments reaching over 7 billion units in the past few years, meaning on average 3 million units of products built-in with Imagination technologies are put on the market each day. Imagination has won the industry's 100% support and recognition.In particular, after merging with MIPS, Imagination has been exhibiting great determination and commitment to continue expanding MIPS CPU technology. Yassaie emphasized that the industry desperately needs another architecture solution and with the ongoing development of MIPS technologies, future market competition will be reshaped.Looking back at the development history of silicon intellectual property (SIP), technologies for video, graphics, RF, imaging and others were all still relying on external chips only seven to eight years ago. Now advanced mobile application processors integrate all these technologies on a single chip. In the next wave of IoT devices, an SoC needs to embed CPU with low-power consumption communications and peripheral functions. Imagination has all these solutions ready.While the speed of SoC integration is picking up, IP performance is also advancing quickly. Taking mobile GPU for example, the performance has increased 300 times over the past five years, and PowerVR, which Imagination is going to launch by Imagination by the end of the year, will boast a performance 400 times as fast. It is capable of delivering desktop-level graphics onto mobile devices. However, at the same time of boosting performance, it is crucial that energy consumption be kept similar to previous levels or even more optimized, a goal that Imagination has always been keen to achieve.Furthermore, Imagination is able to bring interactive imaging to mobile devices with maturing new ray tracing technology, which is a breakthrough in graphic technology.Imagination has launched the PowerVR Wizard GPU family based on PowerVR Sseries6XT Rouge architecture with built-in ray tracing technology to bring vivid dynamic light mode into reality, rendering augmented virtual experience with a real sense of presence. Meanwhile, Imagination is also actively expanding the ecosystem of ray tracing for more developers to make use of the technology.He stressed that in the next three to five years, this will completely change graphic experiences on mobile applications, so consumers will be able to create video content having quality never seen before.Ensigma RPU (RF processor) is another innovative technology Imagination is bringing forth. Much as the case of the GPU becoming an integral part of an SoC, the inclusion of communication features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in a system-on-chip will be an inevitable trend, Yassaie indicated.Ensigma RPU is programmable and supports various emerging and evolving communication protocols, and with minimum energy consumption and low costs, Ensigma RPU is ideal for all types of cost-sensitive IoT devices.In conclusion, Yassaie reiterated Imagination owns comprehensive IP technologies propelling the next wave of innovative advances in SoC, and is actively expanding the MIPS and PowerVR ecosystems. Imagination focuses on building long-term partnerships with customers, with whom Imagination works to bring forth new network SoCs supporting IoT, wearable and other devices.TSMC Collaborating with Imagination to Drive Technical InnovationsSuk Lee, Senior Director, Design Infrastructure Marketing Division, TSMC, talked about the advantage and evolution of the fabless manufacturing model in his keynote speech. He pointed out TSMC has the necessary fabrication technologies to serve customers in response to the massive opportunities arising from IoT.According to market research reports, the IoT market will grow at an amazing pace over the coming years with shipments of 50 billion units of various types of connected devices worldwide in 2020.Lee indicated there are wide ranges of IoT applications, from smart meters and smart power plugs adopting entry-level 8- to 16-bit processors, smart watches and smart lighting with mid-range 16- to 32-bit embedded processors, to home gateways, smart thermostats, and smart glasses integrating high-end 32- to 64-bit processors.Foundry processes for logic ICs, as well as analog, RF and MEMS devices, embedded flash memory, and image sensors, have to advance to keep abreast of the developments in the new generation of diversified smart. He predicted 0.18um RF CMOS, 90/55/40nm ultra-low power RF, 28nm ultra-low power RF, and 16nm FinFET will be the main processes catering to IoT devices from the entry-level to high-end segments.TSMC has been much devoted to building a complete design ecosystem and working with IP and EDA partners to build an Open Innovation Platform (OIP) to drive technology development. Cooperation between TSMC and Imagination is well underway, on not only the current and new generation 16nm FinFET process but also PowerVR Wizard ray tracing GPU as well as MIPS CPU and connectivity technologies.According to testing results, the performance of PoweVR6XT GPU, when moved from 16nm FinFET to 16nm FinFET+ process, is able to increase by 15% with the power consumption level staying the same. This means graphic capabilities of mobile devices will continue to grow in the future.The Era of Smart, Display, and Big DataEddie Chang, product line supervisor at Realtek Semiconductor Corp., explored the future trend in the development of smart features and display technologies.He pointed out smart devices and display technology will be the two major trends as the market expands. As such, TVs, smart phones, wearable devices and white goods will become new spotlights. People will demand more on intelligent features, interactivity, connectivity, display quality, and cloud connection.The whole industry is aggressively bringing more and more smart devices to the market, and with more devices connected to the cloud, massive opportunities arising from Big Data will be divided into three aspects: capture, analysis, and protection of Big Data, Chang explained.From the perspective of data capture, device suppliers as well as brands, SoC and app developers can record audios, videos, photographs, and information, while cloud server providers save data and behaviors on both private and public clouds.Now data from connected devices is directly uploaded onto the cloud for storage, but issues about privacy and security are gaining attention with the growing availability of connected devices. In the future, in order to ease the demand on power and performance of IoT devices, data from home devices or sensors may be gathered and computed locally at the device and then uploaded onto the cloud. This approach, however, will pose new requirements on intelligence and security features that the industry is trying to answer to.He thinks that there will be "insurance cloud" which is a type of service that functions as an agent or manager for individual and family users. When an individual or family uploads data, the data will be protected through "insurance cloud" and the data may be for sale upon the user's consent. This will trigger new operation modes in the times of Big Data and open up more opportunities.Expert Opinion: Overcoming Challenges in SoC DesignTony King-Smith, EVP Marketing, Imagination, hosted a panel discussion with experts from partners including Realtek Semiconductor, Synopsys Inc., Cadence Design Systems, and TSMC, who exchanged views on future application trends and technical challenges.How to develop cost-effective, high-performance, low-energy consumption chips with the shortest time to market has become a demanding challenge for chipset designers as the complexity of SoC escalates.Eddie Chang from Realtek indicated the management of IC design technologies is becoming crucial. It is important to establish improved design flow to more accurately estimate power consumption and efficiency so that the designer can have a better project schedule and better control of the design quality.Phil Dworsky, Director, Strategic Alliances, Synopsys, said that in response to the IC design industry's needs, EDA providers have to offer suitable design methodology, solutions for establishing operation procedures and optimizing PPA(power, performance, area), testing tools, and fast prototyping so that the industry can accelerate the design of chips with higher complexity, lower energy consumption, and optimized cost structure.Jack Chen, Manager, Technical Support and Service, Cadence, noted that the GPU is taking up more and more area of the SoC, almost exceeding 50%, so PPA optimization has become very important in chip design. In addition to technologies satisfying high-performance chip design, developments in low power and assembly technologies are also playing meaningful roles with the rise of IoT devices.Chek-San Leong, Project Manager, Silicon IP, TSMC, pointed out as IP quality is critical, TSMC works with partners to jointly establish optimum reference procedures for new fabrication processes so that our customer's needs are addressed. He thinks that ultra-power power 28nm process will be the major process for the emerging IoT market. However, this is a very diverse market requiring different processes for making embedded flash memory, analog devices and sensors. These processes may rely on existing or new platforms. This will be the next important trend for the industry and is still under development.MIPS Architecture Back in the GameImagination acquired MIPS in February last year and the merger has made quite significant progress on several items in the past year. MIPS architecture has unique features but it still needs investment of additional resources for it to expand to more applications, indicated Executive VP Tony King-Smith.Especially, MIPS architecture has new development opportunities thanks to open source operating systems and independent ISA. He emphasized Imagination has developed many new MIPS processors based on the original MIPS Aptiva family. Combining Imagination's industry connection and technical reputation, King-Smith believes MIPS CPUs will be an alternative for the industry.In line with the product roadmap of MIPS CPUs, Imagination has launched the new MIPS Series 5 Warrior offering high performance P-Class, mid-range I-Class, and M-Class for embedded systems.He said MIPS is a proven 32/64-bit architecture technology, having a 20-year shipment history. The 32- and 64-bit technologies are seamlessly compatible in binary. The architecture is capable of executing multiple threads, cores, clusters, hardware virtualization, and multi-domain security.MIPS is the ideal scalable architecture that has been adopted in various applications from embedded micro-processors to 64-bit advanced communication processors. He reiterated Imagination is committed to delivering complete, state-of-the-art IP solutions to help customers develop products with differentiating features.Imagination is also looking to build up an ecosystem for MIPS technology to be used in more applications. Imagination has joined forces with industry leaders Broadcom, Cavium, Ikanos, Ineda Systems, Ingenic Semiconductor, Lantiq, Nevales Networks, PMC, and Qualcomm and formed the prpl foundation, supporting the MIPS architecture and open to others with a focus on enabling next-generation datacenter-to-device portable software and virtualized architectures.Imagination is also working with Oracle to ensure Java can fully support all 64-bit and 32-bit MIPS platforms, including Oracle JDK and Java SE Embedded. On the other hand, Imagination is also making efforts in building an Android ecosystem, which has already been capable of completely supporting the MIPS architecture in addition to toolchain and fully portable app programs.Grasp New and Emerging OpportunitiesImagination's Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Andy Thompson, said that Imagination's IP is already being used in mobile phones, tablets, consumer electronics, mobile multimedia devices, networking and automotive applications, as well as IoT. However, because of cloud computing and IoT technologies, he pointed out, previously independent segments will become interlinked. For example, mobile phones may become linked with wearable devices, televisions, the cloud, as well as home networks, which would be a completely new usage model and market opportunity.In this type of market, he added, IP vendors must provide even more comprehensive solutions in order to meet market demand. Therefore, solutions that establish platforms will become increasingly important.In addition, since various types of devices will be interconnected, the importance of software portability as well as security will increase. Furthermore, IoT as well as wearable devices will result in strict requirements in terms of power consumption, performance, form, and size. They will also drive heterogeneous computing as well as the emergence of new platform architectures.At the same time, he also believes that the industry will see wider application of image processing technologies, including advanced driver assistance systems, posture recognition, facial recognition, and real-time image filtering, which will all drive new usage models. The ubiquity of network-connected SoC applications will bring forth new demand for voice, video, gesture and image processing technologies.In response to this trend, Imagination has created an innovative IP platform solution using its PowerVR, MIPS, Ensigma, as well as FlowCloud technologies. It is also dedicated to establishing a strong ecosystem to provide complete tools support, heterogeneous processing, hardware virtualization, as well as security, allowing it to meet the various development needs of the future market.IoT and Wearable Device DesignIoT and wearable devices are the new bright spots of the industry. Imagination's Senior Vice President of Consumer Strategy, Simon Forrest, pointed out some of the most important things that the industry needs to consider when designing these types of new products.He said that the development of IoT devices will see shipments of consumer devices reach 20 to 30 billion units by 2020. The IoT trend will also expand to industrial applications, with shipments beginning to rise in 2016 and reaching a scale of 100 billion devices by 2025. And beginning from 2020, virtually all devices will be interconnected. This is a multi-trillion dollar market that will completely change the way people live.The growth potential of wearable devices is just as astonishing. According to statistics, the number of wearable devices will reach 465 million units by 2019, of which medical, exercise, and smart watches will be the primary product category, with medical devices accounting for 32%, exercise devices accounting for 31%, smart watches accounting for 20%, and smart glasses accounting for about 8% of those 465 million devices.He emphasized that these types of new product designs require new computing architectures. If the current mobile SoC designs are used, the products would not be accepted by consumers due to excessive power consumption. In order to achieve optimized performance, wearable devices must have SoCs that are tailored to specific applications.In addition, low power consumption will play a critical role. Imagination's Ensigma Series 4 RF processor was specifically designed for wearable and IoT devices. It is capable of integrating low-power Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and television broadcast communications standards in one chip.Imagination Ensigma's Vice President of Business Development, Chakra Parvathaneni, also pointed out that the Ensigma RPU is a software-defined baseband technology that includes a complete solution for everything from RF to software and supports multiple communications standards. Ensigma includes the Explorer Series and Whisper Series products. Explorer provides high-performance communications, whereas the Ensigma Whisper provides low-power operation, both of which are specifically designed for wearable and IoT SoCs.The All-New MIPS Warrior Series ProcessorsThe MIPS Warrior is Imagination's latest product after acquiring MIPS and includes the P-Class Series, M-Class Series, as well as the newly announced 64-bit I-Class Series. MIPS Processor Business Director, Mark Throndson, points out that the MIPS Warrior includes comprehensive 64-bit and 32-bit versions, with each product providing best-in-class performance. Benefiting from the MIPS architecture, these products are able to provide seamless migration from 32 bit to 64 bit for high-end, mid-level, and entry-level microcontroller CPUs.In addition, Imagination will add hardware virtualization to its full line of cores, providing enormous benefits to applications migrating from compute-intensive enterprise environments to low-power mobile platforms.The P-Class P5600 core can support multicore configurations, with each cluster having up to six cores. It also provides high-performance cache consistency, hardware virtualization, 128-bit SIMD, as well as an optimized microarchitecture design for maximum SoC performance. The P5600 also includes enhanced virtual address (EVA) as well as extended physical address (XPA) support to ensure expandability and scalability for future generations of products.The M-Class is the world's first microcontroller (MCU) class CPU IP core to have built-in hardware virtualization technology. It provides a new level of flexibility, safety, and reliability to entry-level applications. Throndson poined out that virtualization has long been viewed as a powerful technology in high-end applications (such as servers). Imagination foresees that the future development of CPUs will trend towards advanced multi-context security as well as multiple execution domains, which is why it has decided to add virtualization technology to its MCU-level cores, which will provide new design possibilities for embedded applications.During the summit, Imagination announced its newest I-class I6400 CPU product, which is the first IP core to combine a 64-bit architecture with hardware virtualization technology. This product's scalable performance is enabled by multi-threading, multiple cores, as well as multi-cluster coherent processing technology.Throndson said that the MIPS Warrior I-class processor core has already set a new standard for mainstream 64-bit applications, which include embedded, mobile, digital consumer, advanced communications, networking, as well as storage applications, forming the widest range of applications supported by a single MIPS core. The I6400's outstanding features as well as its industry-leading advantages in terms of performance/power/area allow it to stay ahead of all competing products, helping customers build cores with the same performance but smaller area, or, cores with the same area but faster speed.In addition, in light of the increasing importance of security, the MIPS processor further enhances its security features. Tony King-Smith pointed out that to ensure security, the basic approach is to implement multiple security domains in heterogeneous architectures, which is a feature systems of IoT to data centers must all have. The MIPS processor's virtualization technology can provide hardware firewall security, scalability, as well as necessary isolation. It also provides secure content delivery, secure payment, identity protection, as well as other features applicable across a variety of applications.PowerVR Graphics, Video, and Imaging TechnologyAs the industry leader of GPU IP, Imagination has always been a leader in the development of graphics technologies. Imagination's Graphics Processor Business Development Director, Kristof Beets, said that graphics processor applications are finding increasingly widespread application in areas including IoT, UHDTV, set-top boxes, mobile phones, automotive, servers, and game consoles, which covers various markets ranging from the low-end to the high-end. Different applications have different requirements in terms of performance, cost, area, power, graphics features, and GPU computing performance.Imagination's PowerVR graphics processor has excellent scalability, per-watt performance, per-unit-area performance, as well as reduced bandwidth, which all lead other products in the same class. Furthermore, Imagination has also been aggressively building ecosystems, providing leading API support, free SDK, as well as training, thereby meeting the needs of different applications with complete solutions.In terms of video applications, PowerVR Video and Imaging Business Development Director, Chris Longstaff, pointed out that consumers continue to pursue better visual experiences. The traditional method is to increase resolution. However, factors that affect the visual experience include frame rate, color depth, dynamic range, as well as compression format.In addition, mobile devices, cars, cameras, and wearable devices all have different requirements in terms of image quality. PowerVR's decoder has exceptional scalability and low-power features, making it capable of providing optimal imaging and video solutions.Visual applications are one of the key areas that Imagination focuses on. Longstaff, said that camera applications are becoming increasingly widespread, including in cars, smart TVs, as well as surveillance equipment. They also tend to integrate with augmented reality as well as location or object recognition features. With the advancement of technology, the resolution and frame rates of cameras have been increased to meet the requirements of advanced visual features.The PowerVR Raptor heterogeneous visual platform is Imagination's new breakthrough camera image signal processing (ISP) architecture, which has been optimized for the integration of next-generation SoCs and is applicable towards a wide range of video and imaging applications. Longstaff pointed out that by integrating the ISP into the SoC, vendors will be able to achieve higher performance as well as reduce cost and power consumption. Imaging systems will be the main driving force for consumer technologies as well as a key differentiating factor in smart phones, tablets, IoT devices, as well as emerging automotive applications.Digital Networked Home SolutionsImagination's Senior Manager of Consumer Strategy and Marketing, Simon Forrest, pointed out that the networked home includes consumer electronics, network technologies, the smart grid, home automation, health care, security, and smart appliances. With the advancement of technology, the development of the digital home is also gaining speed. In the future, consumers will be able to enjoy multimedia content on their mobile phones, tablets, or televisions from any corner of their home through wireless networking and cloud technologies. At the same time, all of the smart appliances and equipment in the home will be interconnected, creating a whole new way of life.Imagination's solutions for the digital home include A (audio), B (broadcast), and C (communications).In terms of audio, Imagination's Caskeid provides the most accurate synchronous wireless multiroom audio interconnect and streaming technology, and is capable of achieving delays of less than 20µS, providing exceptional high fidelity stereo audio playback quality, and supporting all 802.11 WiFi standards.In terms of broadcast, with TVs developing towards higher 4K/8K resolutions as well as Android support, Forrest pointed out that set-top boxes will also become smarter. In the future, gaming and hardware virtualization features will be added to support paid TV as well as OTT services. Imagination can provide 10-bit color HEVC decoders as well as relative display, graphics, and CPU solutions to meet the needs of emerging smart TV services.Finally, in the communications space, Wi-Fi standards are continuing to evolve. Currently, there is the newest low-speed 802.11ah standard that targets free spectrums of 1GHz and below, which are designed for IoT devices. It is foreseeable that various wireless communications technologies will exist simultaneously in the home of the future, including wireless communications technologies for lighting, 802.11ah (for security), 802.15.4, Bluetooth LE, as well as 802.11n/ac (for TV and set-top boxes). Imagination's Ensigma communications processor can help vendors integrate various communications standards into their SoCs in order to satisfy various usage requirements.Furthermore, Imagination can also provide FlowCloud technology, which is a set of modularized infrastructural features and underlying services that can provide optimized designs for embedded IoT applications as well as cloud connectivity applications, thereby ensuring security and flexibility.Forrest also noted that the world is currently at the starting point of a digital home evolution. In the next five to 10 years, more advanced technologies will appear, including computer vision, holographic projection, full ray tracing, object oriented audio, as well as 14-bit color. Vendors must keep up with these trends to be able to take advantage of the next wave of innovation and opportunities in the industry.Opening speech by Maxwell Lin, director of business in the Taiwan region.Imagination CEO Hossein Yassaie participates in the event along with key industry partners to announce the latest developments and trends in the market as well as in relative technologies.TSMC Senior Director of Design Establishment and Marketing, Suk Lee, gives a talk.Realtek Product Line Manager Eddie Chang discusses future technological trends from the perspective of smart functionality and display technologies.Imagination's Executive Vice President of Marketing, Tony King-Smith, moderates a panel discussing future application trends as well as technical challenges. The panelists are from Imagination's partners, Realtek, Synopsys, Cadence, and TSMC. From left to right: Eddie Chang (Realtek), Jack Chen (Manager of Technical Support Services at Cadence), Chek-San Leong (Silicon Intellectual Property Management IP Alliance Project Manager at TSMC), and Phil Dworsky (Strategic Alliance Director at Synopsys).Imagination's Executive Vice President of Marketing, Tony King-Smith, points out the advantages of the MIPS architecture, especially in terms of open operating systems and ISA neutrality.Imagination's Vice President of Strategic Marketing, Andy Thompson, explains how Imagination has built innovative IP platform solutions using its PowerVR, MIPS, Ensigma, and FlowCloud technologies, allowing it to satisfy the needs of future growth markets as well as various developmental requirements.Imagination's Senior Manager of Consumer Strategy and Marketing, Simon Forrest, introduces key considerations for the design of IoT and wearable devices.Director of PowerVR Video and Image Business Development, Chris Longstaff, points out that video applications are one of Imagination's focal points.Director of MIPS Processor Business Development, Mark Throndson, points out that the MIPS architecture has unique benefits, allowing it to facilitate seamless migration for high-end, mid-range, and entry-level microcontroller CPUs from 32-bit to 64-bit.

The smart home security solutions provider - LuxHome has always been committed to the design and innovation of products to help people create a more comfortable smart home environment. With the new LHK110EK wireless all-in-one integrated alarm, home automation and surveillance system, you can control all of your devices via smart phone or tablets anywhere with LuxHome Guard smart apps, providing a Safer, Smarter, Greener way of life.The system consists of a touch screen control for system operations. With the 7" touch control panel, you can view live images from cameras and control the operation of all alarm devices on the screen. The panel can also link with smart plugs and lighting fixtures, enabling you to wirelessly set the lighting of your residence. Smartphone APP is also available for remote monitoring. When a trigger event occurs, the system will notify you via email alerts or APP push messages. A total of 4 cameras to monitor your residence surroundings, 8 wireless sensors to provide perimeter and interior intruder protection, and up to 8 lighting fixtures can be installed after expansion. The system is suitable for guarding small- to middle-sized properties.Features:• Supports True Plug and Play. Simply plug the 7-inch touch control panel to your router, and a remote server will create an individual P2P connection with no need to amend firewall or router settings. • Easy to use. The touch control panel allows you to simply link your wireless smartphone and lighting cameras without the need to wire directly to the panel.• Cameras are equipped with independent motion-detection recording with lighting capability. The user can configure multiple recording schedules.• The smart home security system is accessible online and can be remotely controlled. • You can view your home remotely by downloading a free App from Android or Apple stores.• Easy App activation. Just enter your ID and password into the App on your smartphone to activate the remote view function.• A fully expandable system. The touch control panel has a quad-screen option allowing you to view 4 cameras at once. A maximum of 4 cameras can be added to this system.• Supports up to 8 alarm devices connection.• Supports up to 8 lighting fixtures/plugs connection, and up to 5 lamps can be configured to light up when alarm is triggered.• Built-in speakers.Safer Greener Smarter is the motto and the core value of the LuxHome brand. LuxHome is ready to create smart home solutions that enhance the quality of life. For more information about LuxHome smart home products, please visit the official website http://www.myluxhome.com/.LuxHome provides 2.4GHz Smart Home Security System to make IOT smarter and safer at home.

ASUSTOR Inc., a leading innovator and provider of network storage solutions, has announced the launch of two powerful new NAS devices, the AS7008T and AS7010T which are designed for both enterprise and multimedia use. The AS7008T and AS7010T are the newest offerings in ASUSTOR's new 70 Series. Both models come equipped with powerful Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz dual-core processors and 2GB of built-in SO-DIMM DDR3 memory that can be expanded up to a maximum of 16GB. Furthermore, both also come with 3 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports and 2 eSATA ports allowing users to flexibly incorporate the use of different accessory devices.In addition to dual gigabit Ethernet ports, the AS7008T and AS7010T are also equipped with a 10GbE network card expansion slot, allowing for flexible expansion in demanding enterprise environments that require greater access speeds and productivity. ASUSTOR's 70 Series devices also adopt the HDMI port and infrared receiver from previous ASUSTOR models and further incorporate a S/PDIF port that provides high fidelity optical output for unmatched listening experiences. Users can pair their NAS with 4K ultra high definition monitors and multi-channel surround sound for a luxurious and immersive entertainment experience."We are very excited to be launching these two powerful new models which were meticulously designed by the ASUSTOR team," said Allen Yen, Sales Director at ASUSTOR. "With cutting-edge hardware specifications, attractive price points and the ability to handle demanding enterprise and multimedia applications, we are sure these new models will be a hit with users around the globe."Both the AS7008T and AS7010T come with the ADM (ASUSTOR Data Master) 2.3 operating system which provides an intuitive user experience and a high degree of expandable functionality via add-on Apps. ADM 2.3 introduces a variety of practical business functions including the TFTP file transfer protocol, support for proxy server connections, multiple data protection mechanisms and Windows ACL advanced file permissions management. Windows ACL combined with ADM's seamless Windows AD support significantly enhances management efficiency for business applications. ADM 2.3 also offers exclusive support for automatic sleep mode, allowing the NAS to automatically enter system sleep mode after it has been idle for specified period of time helping users save a significant amount on energy costs. Furthermore, ADM 2.3 also supports SMB 2.0 which increases Windows networking performance by 30%-50%.In order to make ADM simpler and easier to use, a refreshed and modernized GUI design will also be introduced in this latest version, along with a new sign in page that gives users the ability to configure the background, title and a customized image. Lastly, the 70 series' powerful hardware not only provides outstanding performance for multimedia streaming and transcoding, but is also able to simultaneously support up to 16 IP cameras for use with ASUSTOR's Surveillance Center, allowing users to create a safe, reliable and high performance surveillance system.The AS7008T and AS7010T both come with a 3 year warranty and will be available for purchase from global dealers shortly. For more information about ASUSTOR's global dealers, please visit: http://www.asustor.com/service/where_to_buyKey Features for the AS7008T and AS7010T:*Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor*2GB DDR3 RAM (Expandable to 16GB)*3 x SuperSpeed USB 3.0 (5 Gb/s) Ports*2 x USB 2.0 Ports*2 x eSATA Ports*1 x HDMI 1.4a Ports*1 x S/PDIF Port*LCD Display*Infrared Receiver*Supported Volume Types: Single Disk, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10*Supports Hard Disk Hot Swapping and Online RAID Migration*Maximum Supported Capacity of Hard Disks: 48TB (AS7008T) and 60TB (AS7010T)*Disk Tray LocksASUSTOR AS7

Orbotech Ltd. (NASDAQ: ORBK) announced that it has successfully closed the previously-announced acquisition of SPTS Technologies Group Limited ("SPTS"), in a strategic move into the high growth areas of Advanced Packaging and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).Arik Gordon, Corporate Vice President and President of the PCB Division said, "Orbotech is a global technology leader in digital production solutions for the PCB and FPD electronics. Our company has pioneered much of the leading inspection and repair technology. For decades we have provided our technology to PCB makers and recently, we have witnessed first-hand the growing movement from IC substrate manufacturing to the higher-value IC packaging space. At the same time, we have seen leading OSATs adopting advanced technologies and leveraging field-proven PCB and FPD-based technologies to reduce costs.""Developing our technologies to meet this growing demand was a natural progression. Now, with the addition of SPTS' industry-proven technologies and process solutions for advanced packaging, we come to SEMICON Taiwan with a broader product portfolio of added value solutions for the advanced IC packaging market."Orbotech has successfully acquired SPTS and moves into the high growth areas of Advanced Packaging and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)Arik Gordon stated, "We are very excited about our recent decision to acquire SPTS Technologies. This is a major step for us as we look to expand into the advanced packaging market. SPTS is a leading capital equipment supplier to the semiconductor industry, supplying etch, deposition and thermal processing solutions to the advanced packaging and MEMS markets. We couldn't have chosen a more appropriate company to help realize our long term strategy. SPTS has long been a recognized leader and vendor-of-choice in these high-growth markets, and like Orbotech, is an integral player in the electronics manufacturing ecosystem. Through this strategic acquisition, we are able to expand our product portfolio into these arenas and extend our operation into adjacent segments including RF and power chips. We are excited to begin working on new developments with SPTS and providing customers with the added benefits of the joining of our two companies."Provides broad range of process solutions for advanced packagingArik Gordon added, "SPTS' offerings are truly complementary to the systems we have been developing for the advanced IC packaging market. SPTS focuses on metal and dielectric deposition, thermal processes, etching and plasma dicing. For the advanced IC packaging market, Orbotech has leveraged our existing technology and focused development on processes for lithography patterning, laser drilling, and inkjet printing. Orbotech's and SPTS' products and services match up in many ways. By combining forces, we are able to offer more extensive coverage to our customers and a more inclusive service to the advanced packaging industry.""Allow me to provide a few examples. For RDL processes, Orbotech's unique maskless LDI patterning solution together with SPTS' PVD technology provide a comprehensive solution that covers the majority of the process. The combination of field-proven lithography and PVD solutions will offer packaging companies a significant added value. Another example is for PoP processes, specifically fan-out wafer level packaging (FOWLP) applications. Orbotech provides the most advanced laser drilling solution for TMV formation. Now, combined with SPTS' ionized PVD solutions, Orbotech is able to provide a more comprehensive, cost-saving solution for the production of these complex modules."Orbotech and SPTS joint present in SEMICON Taiwan 2014"Orbotech will be introducing three of our systems which we have developed specifically to match the growing needs of the advanced packaging industry. Our systems are designed to meet the challenging needs of today's most complex advanced IC packaging applications including: RDL for FOWLP; 3DWLP; organic interposer; high-end substrates; embedded die; and TMV for high density PoP applications. The first system is our Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) solution for cost-effective maskless patterning for super-fine features and delivers superior imaging accuracy without compromising on throughput. We're also introducing our highly sophisticated CAM-guided digital inkjet printer for highly accurate pattern alignment and precise high-speed, fine-feature printing. Last, we will be showcasing our high-speed precision UV laser drilling system. Designed for the most challenging advanced IC packaging applications, this system achieves significant cost-savings for a variety of processes. Orbotech's sister-company Frontline PCB Solutions will also be presenting their complimentary CAM solutions for fast and accurate design to manufacturing processes for advanced IC production."Kevin Crofton, Corporate Vice President and President of SPTS Technologies said, "SPTS will be showcasing their new Rapier XE DRIE module which was launched in May. For via reveal and TSV etching, the Rapier XE etches 100% exposed Si 2 to 3 times faster than the competition, and is the only DRIE module capable of endpointing the Cu via tips as they emerge from the Si surface. With the ReVia endpoint, users can choose to use tip heights as small as 1 μm and save costs from reduced passivation thickness, and shorter polishing times. Combined with our range of stress engineered low temperature oxide and nitrides, SPTS has a compelling solution for 2.5 and 3D wafer backside processing."Building on their market leading position in deep Si etch for MEMS and TSV, SPTS is now bringing that same capability to wafer dicing. There are two principle applications for dicing using plasma etch:*Small die, of the order of 3x3mm or smaller. MEMS, some power chips and LED submounts fall into this category. Using DRIE techniques dramatically reduces dicing time over conventional dicing methods, and enables up to 10% more die to be patterned onto the wafer due to smaller kerf widths.*Thin die, of the order of 30μm. Thin die are needed for die-to-die 3D stacking, to keep the overall package thin. Conventional saws can damage these thin die and reduce die strength. Plasma dicing is a much more gentle way of singulating devices.SPTS' Omega cluster DRIE system has solutions for dicing full thickness wafers, called dice before grind (DPG), and dicing thinned wafers on frames post grind (DPG). They have worked with automation suppliers to be able to handle wafers on their dicing frames, and have developed a DRIE solution that does not damage the dicing tape.SPTS expects to be in production for plasma dicing later this year.Arik Gordon concluded, "Now, we are focusing on offering our combined best-in-class solutions to the advanced IC packaging market. Our goal is to continue building on our relationships with key industry players. From our vast experience in the PCB and FPD industry, we understand that the best innovations come from the strongest partnerships with our customers, a philosophy shared by SPTS. Together with SPTS' technological know-how and strong leadership position, we look forward to being able to broaden our offering to the industry. In the future, we will be able to provide even more comprehensive solutions, covering all critical production stages."Arik Gordon, Corporate Vice President and President of the PCB Division, OrbotechKevin Crofton, Corporate Vice President and President of SPTS Technologies