Keys in perfection: Mechanicless input devices

Keys in perfection:

Mechanicless input devices

Anniversary:20 years of ELMOS

Product news:Micro-Mouse E909.02

From the idea to the chip:Applications and Quality

new

s lett

er

ELMOS newsletter 10/2004


that we are well-equipped for tomorrow’s requirements.

As well as this, we are launching new technologies into new markets. Systems designed according to the patented HALIOS principle function totally without any mechanical elements and are also wear-free thereby eliminating any related problems. This technology has enabled us to increase our customer base, an example of which can be seen by our recent, successful entry into the telecommunications market. Even if the automotive market will still remain the core of our business, the telecommunications market with its shorter life cycles is a welcome driving force for innovation.

20 years ago, the young ELMOS began to significantly shape the newly-born automotive electronics market which is why we await the next 20 years with anticipation. ELMOS is fully equipped for both the market’s and the customers’ demands, and we look forward to the future with great expectations.

Klaus WeyerMember of the board

Editorial

“We await the next 20 years with great expectations“

Dear customers,

Twenty years ago, the ELMOS story began. In the fast-moving world of semi-conductors, this is almost an eternity. When ELMOS set up operations, chips were still exotic components found under the body of a car. Nowadays, there are over a thousand semiconductor components in the modern vehicle controlling all the basic comfort and safety functions ranging from airbags, instrumentation, to air conditioning systems and ignition. When we started 20 ago years as a small enterprise with a ridiculously low investment volume of 10 million DM, we could hardly anticipate such growth. Naturally, we hoped to fill a small market niche, but to employ more than 70 people was inconceivable. Currently, there are more than 900 employees working for ELMOS world-wide.

Today, the main customers for ELMOS ASICs are all the big-name automobile suppliers such as Autoliv, Beru, Delphi, Helbako, Hella, Kostal, Lear, Pierburg, Preh, Saia, Siemens-VDO, Valeo and many others, all of whom have integrated our chips into their systems. ELMOS chips are in almost every automobile model (Audi, BMW, Citroën, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Rover, Toyota, Volvo, VW and others) and we are profiting from the rapid increase in electronic systems in vehicles.

Not only is the automotive electronics market increasing its requirements but the ELMOS strategy is also now embracing

more than just the automotive ASIC. With ASICplus, we provide a one-stop-shop model for the customer. Depending on what is required, an ASIC is connected to a sensor element in a functional package whereby the customer is always at the forefront. In order to fulfil customer demands in the best possible way, their needs are incorporated right from the beginning, at the development stage of the ASIC.

By constantly pursuing this strategy, ELMOS has become a world-wide global player. Our Design, Development and Sales Centers are in close proximity to all the important car manufacturers. The subsidiaries SMI in the US and ELMOS Advanced Packaging (formerly Eurasem) in the Netherlands have aligned their production optimally for the manufacture of ELMOS products ensuring

Table of content

Editorial: “We await the next 20 years with great expectations“ 2

Anniversary: 20 years of ELMOS. Determined we move on to the Future 3

Title story: Keys in perfection: Mechanicless input devices 5

Product news: Micro Mouse E909.02 8

Series: From the idea to the chip, part 4: ELMOS chips in use 9

Interview: Frank Petersen: “ELMOS guarantees quality” 11

News/preview: News from and about ELMOS 12

Inlay: Questionnaire

ELMOS newsletter 10/2004 3

With a three-day anniversary event from 16th to 18th September 2004, ELMOS Semiconductor AG celebrated 20 years of existence with customers, suppliers and other guests from the political world and the media. “Twenty years of ELMOS have taught us to accept challenges and meet them successfully”, summed up Dr. Klaus Weyer, an executive board member and founder of ELMOS.

ELMOS began in 1984 with an investment of 10 million DM. The aim of the company was to achieve a sales volume of between 10 and 15 million DM per year thereby employing 50 members of staff. “Of course, we hoped to fill a gap in the market but it was inconceivable to employ more than 70 members of staff“, said Weyer. “At the beginning we quickly had to learn how difficult it was for a young innovative company to establish itself as a competent partner with regard to both products and market,“ said Knut Hinrichs, CEO/chairman of ELMOS Semiconductor AG. “By gaining

20 years of ELMOS. Determined we move to the future

In a good mood: Winfried Materna, President IHK Dortmund, Reinhard Senf, member of the board ELMOS, Knut Hinrichs, CEO ELMOS, Dr. Klaus Weyer, member of the board ELMOS, Dr. Peter Thoma, member of the board ELMOS und Utz Ingo Küpper, managing director of promoting economic development in Dortmund.

BMW as a customer, we were given the chance to develop numerous products for the automotive industry. Developing semiconductor chips for BMW has been the foundation for our success,” says Hinrichs.

“At that time, we co-operated closely with the responsible persons for development at BMW, Dr. Peter Thoma, now executive board member for sales at ELMOS, and Dr. Wolfgang Ziebart, now chairman of the board at Infineon.“ Working together with customers which is always challenging, has made ELMOS what it is today, and will also be the key to future success. Going public in 1999 and acquiring the chip packaging specialist ELMOS Advanced Packaging together with the sensor expert SMI in 2001 have been further milestones in ELMOS’ history. The future of the ELMOS group is marked by its comprehensive ASICplus competence, consisting of micro mechanics, and semiconductor and assembly technology with mechatronic solutions. In 2004, ELMOS will achieve sales of more than 140 million Euros.

ELMOS currently employs more than 900 people world-wide. In the next few years, an annual sales increase of around 20% is expected. “The successful entry into the telecommunications market using optical input elements based on the HALIOS® system together with the large number of new development projects means that our future growth is based on a firm foundation“, says Hinrichs.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, a workshop took place on the future of automotive semiconductor and sensor technology. Led by Dr. Peter Thoma, eminent speakers gave presentations:• Dr. Neumann, Volkswagen: The status and trend of electronics in the automobile.• Mr. Thiemann, Hella: Driving assistant sensors from Hella - the reliable front seat passenger.• Dr. Huhn, Audi: How we in Germany can maintain our leadership in automotive lighting technology.

Anniversary


• Dr. Laufenberg, Kostal: Comfort and safety electronics in mechatronic modules.• Mr. Grote, BMW: Semiconductors - why OEMs shouldn‘t care about it.• Dr. Mindl, Siemens VDO: System integration as paradigm change for new fields of innovation.• Dr. Rieth, ContiTeves: APIA – an integral approach to optimize vehicle safety.• Dr. Kokozinski, FhG IMS: Wireless sensor networks, technology and application.• Dr. Runge, ZF-Lenksysteme: Drive and chassis in the networked vehicle.

The central themes of these presentations were: avoiding interfaces; the need to get a system from a one-stop-shop model; the awareness that quality will be the number one target in the future, and finally, advances in automobile networking. The workshop was received with great enthusiasm by more than 150 participants from the automotive industry and their suppliers. The day culminated with festivities in the Deutsche Arbeitsschutz-Ausstellung (DASA) and a speech by Harald Schartau, Minister for Economics and Labor for the State of North-Rhine/Westphalia.

At the anniversary ceremony on 17th September 2004, Dr. Winfried Materna, president of the IHK Dortmund (Chamber of Commerce and Industry), and Dr. Utz Ingo Kuepper, Managing Director of Promoting Economic Development in Dortmund, presented ELMOS within the context of both regional and municipal structural changes. Both expressed their appreciation and admiration for ELMOS, the first company to be built in the technology park in Dortmund. Finally, the new landscaped Japanese garden on the company premises in Dortmund was officially opened. A center for the employees with a canteen and sports facilities will be built next year.

Anniversary

The 18th September 2004 was a day focussed on employees and their families and friends. During the day, they celebrated the anniversary of their company at the Dortmund location in a convivial atmosphere. The children were entertained by a host of diversions including a bouncy castle, various playground attractions and a magician. In the evening the employees celebrated the history of their ELMOS, their innovative semiconductor company, between the old blast furnaces of the DASA.

The workshop presentations can be ordered on CD Rom. Simply send an E-Mail with the reference “Workshop Presentations“ to:[email protected]


Title story

What is HALIOS®?

The abbreviation HALIOS® stands for High Ambient Light Independent Op-tical System. This system was devel-oped as early as 1993 by Gerd Reime, inventor and founder of the MECHA-LESS Systems GmbH and consists of optical transmission and reception elements (LEDs and photo diodes) as well as a new electronic signal-evaluation system. The system allows

Keys in Perfection: Mechanicless input devices

Activating keys without contact, invisible movement detectors, faultless recognition of wiping movements? Technically not possible with strong sunlight or contamination or with large changes in ambient light? With the HALIOS® system, this dream has become true - mechanicless, wear-free, problem-free.

Light barrier technology has been known for a long time and is successfully used in industrial automation. However, for domestic use or in everyday situations its progressive technology reaches its limitations very quickly. The differences in light are too great and, when exposed to strong sunlight, the light barrier no longer functions reliably. Similar problems arise even when small contaminations or scratches appear on the surface. For these reasons this technology has so far not been used in either the car, or in cell phones or with simple switches – in spite of its huge advantage: it is so user-friendly that operations are virtually intuitive.

“With the HALIOS® system we can completely eliminate all sources of error. The three-dimensional recognition of movements is not affected by which lighting conditions prevail, how quickly

and how often they change, or whether the surface is dirty or scratched,“ says Elmar Winter, m a n a g i n g director of M E C H A L E S S Systems GmbH. Other influences

such as temperature differences or ageing symptoms are compensated by the HALIOS® system. With this technology, push buttons, switches, control panels and regulators can be constructed without mechanics rendering them absolutely wear-free. „The familiar wear and tear of keys and control panels is now a thing of the past with HALIOS®. Even when used intensively the input elements do not age“, says Winter.

Innovative System: Block diagram and signal flow diagram of the HALIOS®-System.

sending LED

photo diode

compensation diode

demodulator controlunit

LED-driver

Intelligent System Structure

The optical components of a HALIOS® system for proximity and switching applications consist of a transmission LED for the optical wanted signal and an alternatingly clocked compensation LED used to produce a reference signal. Using the HALIOS® system, the light from the compensation LED is directly conducted to the photo diode with the aim that both signals - captured by the photo diode from the transmission and compensation parts - are the same size. Interaction of the light from the compensation LED with the actual object does not occur. The two alternating signals are captured by

the same photo diode, transformed into one voltage and amplified. They are then processed by a control system in such a way that the sum value of both signals after a high-pass filter is always zero. To create different functions, the output signal of the controller is analyzed and evaluated by further electronics.

In contrast to previous light barrier systems, HALIOS® no longer uses the amplitude values of the photo receiver but the control value “current via the compensation LED“ as the actual measuring variable.

From a technical point of view the following advantages can be gained:

movements to be recognized even through closed, infrared-translucent surfaces. Hereby the incident light is evaluated by using two optical transmitters in such a way that only the required information is evalu-ated by post-connection hard and software. External influences, such as exposure to strong sunlight, have no effect. HALIOS® works without any mechanical parts whatsoever and is therefore wear-free.


• At the output of the amplifier path, a genuine zero signal exists as a received signal. Thus the influence of the receiving path is fully compensated In particular, nonlinearity of the photo diode and fluctuations of the amplification factor do not affect the wanted signal.• A clearly higher sensitivity in relation to the wanted signal is achieved by the zero signal.• Due to higher sensitivity, smaller signal amplitudes can be used. This reduces the current consumption in the transmission LEDs considerably and allows a sensitivity x-times higher than possible up until now - this obviously has benefits for devices with battery or accumulator supply.• The characteristics of the receiving path do not affect the wanted signal. This means that ambient light is no longer relevant.• Correct functionality is always given as a plausibility check is constantly carried out. Should there be a component failure, the output signal immediately receives an extreme value.• The reception path with its photo diode does not affect the measuring

signal. Therefore the detector is neither dependent on age nor temperature.• Contactless switches and control elements can also be created behind glass or opaque materials (non-translucent for the human eye), such as plastic.

Everything in one Device

The electronic part of the electro-optical measuring system HALIOS® is created in an integrated circuit. This component contains the analog and digital control and evaluation circuits as well as a defined application interface according to the customer‘s requirements. “Depending on the customer‘s wishes, simple and inexpensive solutions can be created as exclusive ASICs“, says Dr. Frank Rottmann, Managing Director of Sales and IC Design at MECHALESS.

The possibility of integrating the system components in just one IC has a further advantage. For example an optical micro- mouse with a sensor under a plastic surface which is as small as a finger tip has been developed. “By rolling your finger backwards and forwards on this

surface (which has a diameter of between 10 and 20 millimeters), the sensor will recognize accurately the small changes in the direction of the finger tip“, says Rottman. This enables very small micro-mice which are easy to use and with a high resolution, to be integrated into small devices. The evaluation algorithms can be controlled depending on the software or the customer‘s requirements.

“Our customers have accepted the solutions enthusiastically. Currently, we are operating at almost full capacity. Market penetration has been more than successful”, says Rottmann.

Gerd Reime (48) is the inventor of the HALIOS® system and founder of MECHALESS. Before he worked on the HALIOS® system, his field of activity was, amongst others, in the research and development departments of Nokia and Grundig.

newsletter spoke to him about his invention and its prospects.

newsletter: How did you get the idea for the HALIOS® system?

Reime: I wanted to develop a sensor that could measure water on a screen. Conventional systems were not adequate

for this purpose. The effects of external influences such as sunlight exposure were too large. After a lot off testing and experimentation I thought of constructing a system with two diodes to compensate for outside effects. Thus the HALIOS® principle was born.

newsletter: What was the break-through for the HALIOS® system?

Reime: The break-through was the industrial rain sensor which was licensed for Valeo. This meant that for the first time systems were produced in large volumes using HALIOS®.

newsletter: Will there be more HALIOS® innovations?

Reime: Using HALIOS® technology is like

opening a door behind which an almost infinite number of application possibilities is waiting. For some of them, standard ICs have already been developed, the use of which will enable HALIOS® innovations to be converted both quickly and easily into real applications with just a few components. Thus it is possible for example to produce switchless lights controlled by gestures. The turn-on procedure is carried out by a simple tapping of the surface, the turn-off process by a wiping movement.

Moreover, HALIOS® sensors are able to detect the proximity to an active sensor surface and thus can make intelligent internal switch lighting possible. This means it is possible to activate the power-saving mode in a device by proximity and to switch it on by direct contact.

“A door has been opened on virtually unlimited possibilities”

Title story

Dr. Frank Rottmann

joined the ELMOS team

in 1992. Since 1997 he

was head of sales

until he moved

to MECHALESS

in 2003.


Economical Prototypes

This technology has been developed at the MECHALESS Systems GmbH in Karlsruhe, which, since October 2003 has been the latest addition to the ELMOS group. MECHALESS was founded in 2001 as a spin-off from a leading cell phone manufacturer and has so far been exclusively involved with converting HALIOS® technology for given applications and developing new input systems. This means that the company has considerable know-how within the fields of optics, electronics and precision mechanics. As well as this, MECHALESS owns a precision factory where optical components for prototypes can be manufactured fast.

ELMOS is now ideally set up to develop new mass-markets using the HALIOS® technology and its own possibilities of integrating electronics and optics in a common package in co-operation with the 22 employees of the new subsidiary in Karlsruhe’s technology park. New Products with HALIOS®

Because of its absolute insensitivity to ambient light, HALIOS® as an optical measurement system is opening up completely new areas of application within the fields of sensor technology and input systems (MMI man machine interface). A telecommunications company for example has already benefited from this system. In July 2004 a HALIOS® system for use in an informations and telecommunications application was sold to them. The customer has been assured of exclusive rights to additional HALIOS® applications.

In order to create the application, MECHALESS has taken over the hard and software development as well as the optics development. ELMOS manufactures the customized semiconductor at its Dortmund location.

The system-compatible packaging finally takes place at ELMOS Advanced Packaging in the Netherlands. For ELMOS this means the entrance into a further growth market and this will supplement its core business, the automotive industry, in an ideal way. The technology for the innovation-driving

cell phone industry will subsequently be used in the automotive market as well.

Here too are many new areas of application:

a rain sensor with a HALIOS® system for example recognizes whether rain drops or only insects fall onto the windscreen even when this is very dirty, regardless of whether it is night or day, or extremely hot or cold. The system, which was developed as early as 1993 and has been used in large quantities since then in cars, works reliably at temperatures ranging from -40°C to +105°C.

A jamming protection works reliably to prevent injuries by automatic window lifters. The system is able to recognize

resistance before any actual contact is made, stops the window and drives it down again thereby preventing smaller injuries from happening as well.

The application possibilities for 100 percent waterproof and dust-proof keys in the automobile as well as in various other markets are also virtually unlimited. Everywhere in vehicles where keys have to function under extreme conditions, HALIOS® systems can be applied because of their characteristics. The systems are reliable, mechanicless and wear-free. Which means problem-free.(maku)

www.elmos.dewww.mechaless.com

Many options: The application possibilities for HALIOS® are nearly unlimited.

Title story


Micro-Mouse E909.02

Product news

Imprint

newsletter, the ELMOS group magazine for

customers, employees and other interested

parties.

Publisher:

ELMOS Semiconductor AG

Editor-in-Chief:

Dr. Jörg Gondermann

Editor:

Thomas Speckbrock (tsp)

Editorial Team:

Mathias Kukla (maku), Janina Wiegmann

(jwie), Diana Kasperek (dka), Dr. Roland

Krumm (rkm)

Graphics, Layout und Production:


Editorial Adress:


Heinrich-Hertz-Str. 1

D-44227 Dortmund

Germany

Telephon: +49 (0) 231.75 49.0

Telefax: +49 (0) 231.75 49.149

e-Mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.elmos.de

features • voltage supply 3V...5.5V • applicable for 200 kLux ambient light • insensitive to dirt on the sensor surface • 3D-detection • I2C and SPI for parametrization and recording measurements • freely configurable digital I/Os • 4kB EEPROM • 8bit Microcontroller • quiescent current <20µA • ROM-Version costumer specific • LQFP48 package

The E909.02-IC is an optical sensor, which recognizes movements without using any mechanics. An integrated EEPROM makes it possible to freely configure the sensor structure and the movement algorithm. The sensor optically measures object reflections on a sensor package by using the so-called HALIOS® system (High Ambient Light Independent Optical System).

The HALIOS® system is extremely insensitive to ambient light. The internal calibration compensates disturbances which are caused by reflections such as scratches on the package surface. The infrared emitting diodes (IRED, signal diodes) and the photo diodes are placed on the printed circuit board in a fixed way. The ability to recognize object movements at the sensor surface depends on the changes in the optical path of the reflecting signals.(tsp)

Get our standard product catalog now by mailing us at: [email protected]

AVDD

MUX

Filter

Demod

control

SPI

µC

RAM

ROM

DAC

DVDD VDD

CS

SCK

MOSI

MISO

AGND

DVDD

DGND

TIN

LED1

LED2

LED3

LED4

LEDC

DVDD

DVDD

µC

LEDGND

typical application

• navigation surface for cell phones, lap tops, computers, handhelds • switch, rotation and proximity detection • 3-dimensional detection input


ELMOS Chips in Use – Applications and Quality

Series: From the idea to the chip, part 4

Having arrived at the customer, real life now begins for a semiconductor chip. First they are integrated into electronic components, then they are built into the vehicle to serve the customer’s application. The chips have to survive for many years in tough conditions. The conditions needed to fulfil these high requirements will be described in this final part of the series “From the idea to the chip“.

Taped on a reel and protected by a cardboard box, the chips are delivered to the customer. Here, they are controlled by a general incoming goods inspection, which checks in particular the identity, quantity and packing of the parts. Before the chips are warehoused they are submitted to a random electrical incoming test. After this is passed, they get the status „approved“ and can now be integrated into the customer‘s modules.

Integrating the chips happens auto-matically. Along a typical PCB production line (PCB = Printed Circuit Board) for surface-mounted components, specially prepared areas of the circuit boards are

covered with a solder paste in a screen printing procedure. In the next step, the necessary components, whether they are passive, such as resistors and condensers, or active, such as diodes, transistors and semiconductor chips, are placed by an automatic placement system onto the circuit board. More than 1000 units per minute can be picked from the individual tape, brought to the required position and

pressed into the solder paste by software-controlled robots.

After all electronical and mechanical elements, such as plug connectors, have been placed onto the circuit board, they are then soldered. In this example of surface mounting, the entire circuit board is heated up in a reflow stove to more than 220°C, so that the solder paste liquidates allowing the individual components to be attached to the board both electrically as well as mechanically.

After a final visual and electrical test, the separate boards are individually marked. Now they are ready for integration in the

application-specific components and modules.

Application Fields in the Automobile

From the customer’s point of view, these regulators and modules address a variety of applications in the automobile. They cover central controllers in the vehicle inner room, controllers for motor management,

decentralized control modules such as are found in the vehicle door, and tiny controllers in the outside mirror, in the passenger seat and in the bumper. Even with sensors and actuators, tiny electronic units are increasingly preparing and processing the signals as well as communicating with the next hierarchical controller.

So it is hardly surprising that for some years now, the electronic part has been steadily growing, corresponding to the increasing demands on safety, environmental protection and comfort. Nowadays, several thousand semiconductor chips with widely varying functions can be found in

In use: After lengthy production and extensive testing the chip is then integrated into the application. In this case a throttle valve control and glow plug control.


the modern automobile.

Every field of application has specific requirements, whether for vehicle inner room electronics, power trains, safety electronics or even cross-section areas such as comfort and communication electronics. The demands for functionality, quality and delivery performance are common to all of them. These three are top priority in the automotive industry.

The highest possible quality at the lowest possible prices

In addition to these we have to fulfil demands which do not exist in any other branch of industry. This includes outstanding reliability, extreme robustness, just-in-time delivery performance as well as delivery ability over long product life cycles of between 10 and 20 years - all these achievements distinguish the manufacture of automotive semiconductor chips from many other branches of industry.

“The highest possible quality at the lowest possible prices” sums up the situation well. Ingenious systems help the chip manufacturer to fulfill the requirements which are required of him. Development and production processes adhere to certified quality management systems which are based on international norms for the whole branch.

ELMOS has met the requirements stipulated in certified quality management systems for a long time. Certification in accordance with the DIN/ISO 9001 was first carried out in 1994. After certain other certifications in the course of the next few years, such as the QS 9000 and VDA 6.1, ELMOS was certified for its process-oriented management system in accordance with ISO/TS 16949/2002 in August 2003. The ELMOS environment management system has also been certified since 2003 according to the worldwide standard ISO 14001.

Integral parts of the quality management system are the definition, planning, execution and assessment of widely-varying development and production processes in Dortmund and its subsidiaries. All activities are continuously evaluated with primary quality code numbers. Suppliers and service providers are assessed every year regarding quality, delivery performance and service. All areas at ELMOS are supervised at all relevant locations by regular system and process audits.

Qualifications and Quality

All products, processes and packages are subject to extensive qualifications before they are released for serial production. Hereby, qualifying new products is carried out following typical standards, such

Series: From the idea to the chip, part 4

Quality Management System at ELMOS

The aim of the quality management system at ELMOS is to achieve and maintain both outstanding quality standards, necessary in the automotive industry and the highest degree of customer satisfaction. These aims are accomplished by continuous improvement processes, extensive qualifications as well as by implementing zero fault strategies.

Thorough checking: The chips are checked for quality per ultra-sound.

Aim: Zero failure quota. Only by having such high quality standards is it possible to achieve such results.


“ELMOS Guarantees Quality”

Series / Interview

Frank Petersen (41) is head of the Quality Department at ELMOS. He has been with ELMOS since 1995 and prior to this, worked in the field of ASIC fault analysis for five years. newsletter spoke to him about accomplished goals and future targets. newsletter: Where does the main emphasis lie with regard to quality management at ELMOS?

Petersen: We attach a great deal of importance to an extensive qualification of new processes, packages, products and product changes before they go into series production. In addition, ELMOS is certified in accordance with ISO TS 16949, version 2002. This means that when planning, developing and producing our ASICs, we achieve standards which worldwide only a few companies manage to do.

newsletter: What distinguishes ELMOS’ quality management from other companies?

Quality at a glance: Frank Petersen is head of the quality division at ELMOS.

Petersen: Our great advantage is our one-stop-shop model. Quality management works together with the development department, as well as with production and assembly and supports them with its expertise. In addition, we have the complete infrastructure for reliability examinations and fault analyses on component level, wafer level and final part level. Our long-standing experience with customers in the automotive industry means as well that we know where our priorities lie.

newsletter: What are your objectives for the future?

Petersen: My vision of course is a zero failure quota. Our aim is to deliver products which fulfil the high expectations of our customers and of course those of the final customers. My motto is: quality is when the customer returns and not the product.

as AEC-Q100, or if requested in accordance with customer or product specifications in our in-house reliability laboratory at the Dortmund location.

As a result, quality levels with failures of only a few ppm are achieved. About 100 million chips with over 200 different products are delivered and many series start-ups are carried out every year. Nevertheless, should a component fail once it is with the customer, the cause of failure can be found in ELMOS’ own in-house analysis laboratory after which corrective measures are then defined and implemented.

To summarize, there are countless processes which ensure the outstanding quality standard of ELMOS chips. This has been the basis for a strong and solid partnership with our customers over the years. This also includes the long-term delivery performance of ASICs which plays a significant role in our business model – at ELMOS no products have so far been cancelled. For a specialized provider in the automotive semiconductor industry, behavior such as this is a matter of course.

This completes the series “From the Idea to the Chip” which has described the whole development process of complex integrated circuits. In the next newsletter we will be reporting from the heart of the ELMOS competence centers. (JGo)

Precisely: A high-sensitive photo-linse can detect tiny errors.


News / Preview

Topic review for the next newsletter edition

Cover Story:Overview of ELMOS Competence Centers

Competence Center:Body and Climate electronic

News from and about ELMOS

ELMOS: Combined competence at Electronica 2004 - 9th-12th November Munich

The ELMOS group is, for the first time, presenting its ASICplus solution at the Electronica 2004 with all areas of competence under one ELMOS roof. Sensors, custom-designed packages and mechatronic solutions with integrated circuits will all be shown at the ELMOS stand. By combining these products and solutions, silicon-based sub-systems can be offered to the customer in an outstandingly high quality in keeping with automotive standards.

This means that ELMOS as a manufacturer of customer-specific semiconductors is represented at Electronica by its subsidiaries SMI (sensors), MECHALESS (optical input devices using HALIOS®) and ELMOS Advanced Packaging.

One of our new products shown at the fair

is the tilt-angle sensor. It recognizes tiny changes from its rest position in relation to gravity. These signals are prepared and directly read out as angle information. One field of application is the thief protection in a vehicle. If the car is moved or raised, the sensor sends off an alarm. The sensor can also detect position and swaying movements whilst driving. This is a necessary prerequisite for the intelligent control of an active undercarriage.

Use the chance to discover more about our ELMOS product portfolio and find your individual solution. We look forward to seeing you!

You can find us in hall C2, stand A 33/34/39/40. Contact persons are Jörg Gondermann and Walter Wetzel.(jwie/maku)

Prize Draw Reader Quiz

Many readers participated in our newsletter draw of 08/2004, and now you have another chance of taking part and winning. In order to make our newsletter more attractive, we would like to have your feedback. By filling in the attached questionnaire, which won’t take you more than 5 minutes, you will automatically be included in the draw. The following prizes can be won:

1. Prize: 4.0 megapixel digital camera2. Prize: DVD player3. Prize: USB Stick with 64 MB

Each completed questionnaire will auto-matically be included in the prize draw. Entries must be received by telefax by 31.12.2004:+49 (0) 231/ 75 49 548

The winners will be notified by email.Employees and their relatives are excluded from

taking part.ELMOS Design House in South Africa

Micro systems on Silicon (MOS), located in Pretoria, South Africa, is an ELMOS design center. ELMOS uses MOS as an external design house as MOS, like ELMOS, develops semiconductor components in mixed-signal CMOS technology. One main area of activity is the development of energy meters, chips used in domestic electricity meters. These cards are similar to the familiar “prepaid” cards used in telecommunications, where it is possible to store a prepaid credit. On the non European market, they are produced in large volumes.

The company has managed to establish itself as a specialist in the field of mixed-signal CMOS technology by dint of competent consultation to companies such as Sames, in South Africa, amongst others. As well as circuitry technology, MOS provides applicative support for other companies.

MOS key areas of competence are: • Sigma Delta Converter• Pace Lock Loop (PLL)

• Analog Digital Converter (ADC)• Digital Analog Converter (DAC)• Band gap References• Low Power Oscillators

Currently, MOS is focussing its activities in the development of semiconductor in the so-called Ex Ex area (explosion-protected applications), ignitor ICs (electro-detonators) for use in industrial explosive devices in mines. One area of application for electro-detonators is for example blasting diamond mines.

Another area of increasing interest is that of PIRs (Passive Infra red Sensors). The PIR sensor family has been developed as a cost-efficient device for movement detection. A minimum amount of components is highly integrated and guarantees a system with maximum reliability.

You can get more information about products and technology on the MOS web site at:www.mos.co.za

ELMOS Web site Revamped

In keeping with its 20th anniversary ELMOS has been given a new makeover on the internet. We have completely revised and updated our home page at www.elmos.de with information on products, design and process technology, as well as information for investors and much more. (jwie)

Visit our new web site! We look forward to hearing your comments at: [email protected]

Documents

Keys in perfection: Mechanicless input devices