Page 50 - EE Times Europe Magazine | June2020

50 EE|Times EUROPE — Sensors Insert

MEMS Foundry Rogue Valley Thinks Globally, Acts Locally

to go find a partner and pass the dollars on were very hesitant to share information, even It is a different way of collaborating and
to them to secure the supply chain without basic information,” said Gomez. The nature of building relationships with other foundries.
having to put $20 million in an R&D facility?” MEMS manufacturing differs, and she tries to Every time Gomez interacts with her coun-
Clearly, she said, “it is something people are engage in open dialogue with her customers. terparts at foundries such as Canada-based
thinking about in Month Two of not having MEMS manufacturing processes are unique, Micralyne Inc., they discuss how they can
access to those resources they are reliant on.” but that is no reason to get proprietary. work together and support their customer
According to the company, “We share engi- base so that they can make sure they have
OPEN DIALOGUE AND COLLABORATION neering-level data with our customers, freeing enough capacity to deliver, she said.
Prior to founding Rogue Valley, Gomez worked you to bring up a process at Rogue Valley that “MEMS has been such a slow-growing piece
for Standard Microsystems Corp. (Hauppauge, you will later use for high-volume produc- of the industry,” said Gomez. “This is really
New York) and held positions at Integrated tion at a larger fab.” Elaborating, Gomez challenging, and without collaboration, we are
Micromachines and Xponent Photonics. After said, “When we work with customers and we not getting anywhere.” ■
her experience in the semiconductor indus- come to the table, we are there to support
try, she said she has developed a different the technology getting to market, through its Anne-Françoise Pelé is editor-in-chief of
philosophy. “Large semiconductor companies commercialization and out to the world.” eetimes.eu.

BIOSENSORS
Goodix’s CEO Scans the Future

of Biometric Sensing

By Anne-Françoise Pelé

ith mobile devices now used to conduct transactions such as bill
payments, online shopping, and banking, in-display fingerprint
sensors for authentication have proven their security and conve-
Wnience benefits. Founded in 2002, Goodix Technology (Shenzhen, Goodix’s David Zhang
China) provides fingerprint sensors for some of the world’s largest smartphone culties in manufacturing the microlens while
companies, including Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, OnePlus, ZTE, and ensuring high yield and scale of its produc-
Vivo. And with bezel-less smartphones becoming the norm, Goodix has put its tion. The solution is ideal for manufacturers,
fingerprint sensor underneath the screen. Its optical in-display fingerprint sen- as the module delivers outstanding anti-elec-
tromagnetic–interference performance and
sor started with 18 adoptions in 2018, its first year of commercialization, and doesn’t need to be laminated to the screen.
has now been used in more than 100 smartphone models.
EE Times Europe spoke with David Zhang, founder and CEO of Goodix, to EETE: Is 5G one of Goodix’s priorities
for 2020? If yes, what will Goodix do
learn more about the company’s vision for biometrics and how it is preparing to be at the forefront of biometric
for 5G. authentication in the 5G era?
Zhang: With six years of dedication and
EE TIMES EUROPE: Goodix recently We used to think that a below-0.3-mm devotion in R&D, we drive the development of
released an ultra-thin in-display in-display fingerprint sensor was a fantasy, optical in-display fingerprint authentication
fingerprint sensor designed for 5G but we have turned this fantasy into reality. technology from its creation to continuous
devices. What does 5G impose in terms After dozens of various designs and count- breakthroughs. 5G is bringing a smarter life
of security/biometric authentication? less tests, we achieved the breakthrough to the world, and Goodix’s ultra-thin optical
What are the main challenges? by implementing a micro-optics design in in-display fingerprint sensor is serving as
David Zhang: As the industry and global con- the innovative, ultra-thin optical in-display a key component of the premium mobile
sumers call for continuous enhancements in fingerprint sensor. The compact design in experiences in the 5G era. Accommodat-
mobile experiences, premium features such as module size not only frees up excess space for ing the demands of the market and from
higher transmission rates, multiple cameras, hardware optimizations in 5G devices, such as our customers, we will also speed up the
seamlessly smooth display performances, and more powerful cameras or higher- commercialization of our optical in-display
batteries with ultra-long standby time are capacity batteries, but also extends flexibility fingerprint solution for LCD panels by opti-
introduced to global consumers via premium in the fingerprint module location to comple- mizing its performance.
5G devices; yet these upgrades require addi- ment smartphone manufacturers’ different
tional space for larger modules and complex advanced user interface designs. EETE: In February, Goodix completed
5G antenna designs. To complement the design with an the acquisition of NXP Semiconductors’
Overcoming this rising challenge, Goodix advanced manufacturing process, Goodix and Voice and Audio Solutions [VAS] assets to
introduced the ultra-thin optical in-display partners joined forces in reconstructing the extend its biometric capabilities to the
fingerprint sensor as the answer. supply chain, overcoming the technical diffi- voice channel. What are your ambitions?

JUNE 2020 | www.eetimes.eu