Qualcomm and Taiwan's Foxlink plan factory for MEMS-based displays

Plant will produce Qualcomm MEMS Technologies' low-power, sunlight-readable Mirasol displays.

By Matthew Miller, Editor-in-Chief, EDN.com -- Electronic News, 5/7/2008

Qualcomm MEMS Technologies (QMT) and Cheung Uei Precision Industry—also known as Foxlink—have announced their intention to build a Taiwan fabrication plant for QMT's MEMS-based Mirasol displays. Slated to open in 2009 in Taoyuan, the dedicated facility will produce the next generation of the sunlight-readable, low-power display modules, according to Qualcomm.

Mirasol displays, based on a reflective technology called IMOD (interferometric modulation) require no backlighting yet offer good readability in lighting conditions ranging from dim offices to bright sunlight, Qualcomm claims. In addition to not needing a backlight, the displays save on power because they do not require constant refreshing; power is only required when a pixel changes. The company currently offers 1.0-, 1.1-. and 1.2-in. monochromatic models and has signed up six customers: Audiovox, Cal-Comp, Inventec, Hisense, Foxlink, and KTF.

Calling the new plant an essential part of its strategy for the Mirasol product line, Qualcomm said the factory will enable it to offer a more varied selection of displays while also reducing time-to-market. The company declined to disclose when full-color displays might become available (prototypes were shown at CES in January), saying only that the product portfolio will grow in the coming months and that the fab is designed to be scalable in the service of customers' demands.

Citing Foxlink's EMS experience—the company employs more than 43,000 people at more than 15 sites worldwide—Qualcomm said the plant will increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve agility.