Dongbu HiTek starts volume production of ambient light proximity sensor (ALPS) chips for Clairpixel

SOUTH KOREA: Dongbu HiTek has begun volume production of Ambient Light Proximity Sensor (ALPS) chips for Clairpixel Co. Ltd,  a Korean company specializing in single-chip image and motion sensor solutions for mobile, automotive, medical and security applications.

Leveraging Dongbu HiTek’s specialized mixed-signal process, Clairpixel’s advanced ALPS chip is expected to target the growing Chinese smart phone market.

“Clairpixel’s ALPS chip highlights the system-on-chip attributes of our specialized 0.18um mixed-signal process,” said Jae Song, Dongbu HiTek EVP of marketing. “We look forward to expanding our collaboration before year end to add a color sensor function to this highly integrated chip design.”

He credited the rapidly rising adoption rate of ALPS chips to their ability to extend battery life by optimizing screen brightness against ambient light. “With the addition of a color sensor, ALPS will also be able to automatically optimize color on large mobile screens while conserving battery power.”

According to recent market research from Gartner, Inc., worldwide smart phone shipments are expected to more than double from about 718 million units last year to more than1.6 billion units in 2016. Over this same period, Chinese smart phone shipments are forecast to rise from 25 percent to 33 percent of the total.

Smart phone manufacturers such as Huawei and ZTE are expected to lead the expanding share of Chinese shipments. During the fourth quarter of 2012, some estimates report that Huawei shipped nearly 5 percent worldwide total, giving them the third largest market share.