Melexis collaborates with Toshiba on Optical Sensor IC solutions for the HD-DVD format

The next generation DVD formats are known as HD-DVD and Blu-ray. Both of these standards allow a significant increase in the amount of data storage capacity over a conventional DVD disk. The HD-DVD format will support up to 30 gigabytes and Blu-ray will support up to 50 gigabytes in a dual layer configuration.

HD-DVD offers complete backward compatibility with the existing DVD and CD formats in the market today, which has caused companies like Microsoft, Intel, Toshiba, NEC, and several studios to support this format. All the Melexis optic products defined for HD-DVD are designed to support DVD and CD formats as well.

The largest supporter of the Blu-ray format is Sony. The Blu-ray systems now offer compatibility with the existing DVD’s, but do not currently offer complete backward compatibility with the CD market today. Both formats can easily hold full length movies in high definition format.

Melexis has supported our strategic partners in Japan by offering the best technical solution in the industry for two products required in these systems. The first product, the Photo Detector IC (PDIC), detects the laser beam reflected from the DVD disk and converts the light signal to an electronic signal. This signal is then fed back to the main system and decoded as data (a movie perhaps). The second product, an Automatic Power Control circuit (APC), detects and controls the laser power delivered to the DVD disk during the write (and sometimes read) operation. Both of these analog circuits require demanding performance that only Melexis has been able to provide, according to our partners in Japan.

Melexis has invested heavily in both design and packaging technology for optical products. “The high quality expertise in the field of optical sensors and packaging gained in the automotive market allowed us to leapfrog the competition. Our drive to become the premier supplier of optic chips for this market will result in a significant growth opportunity in both 2007 and beyond for the optical product division” said Rudi De Winter, CEO of Melexis.

“Toshiba has invested heavily in the Melexis effort and we are working closely with them to define our next generation requirements in this market” said Mr. Yamada, Executive director of Toshiba’s Optic R&D division.