Smartphone sales have grown tremendously in the past few years. According to Digitimes Research, global smartphone shipment reached a total of nearly 700 million in 2012, and is estimated to grow roughly 43% to reach 1 billion in 2013 and 1.6 billion in 2017. Chilisin's early entry into the smartphone market in 2011 contributed to its outstanding performance in recent years, with total sales almost doubling in the past four years.
As smartphone demand continues to grow, its functions and capabilities continue to evolve. In light of the lightness and thinness trend in focus, demand for small yet high-performing components continues to grow. As one of the largest inductor manufacturers in the Greater China region, Chilisin has four types of manufacturing technology that enable it to quickly respond to the smartphone development trend.
Contrary to the miniaturization trend at the end of the feature phone era, recent trends have seen the rise of thinner and lighter smartphones with bigger screens. Within the past year, smartphone makers have been releasing new models that feature up to 4.7-, 5-, and 5.5- inch screens that are increasingly lighter-weight. Larger panel size requires larger battery, which shrinks the PCB (printed-circuit board) surface area. As such, even though smartphone device as a whole is increasing in size, the available space for smartphone components is shrinking. Through its production technologies, Chilisin has been able to develop miniaturized yet high-performing power inductors ideal for the changing smartphone demand. Notably, Chilisin's molded metal-alloy miniature high-current power inductor (AME and MHCD Series), developed using advanced wiring and powder material, is able to support ultra-high current in low profile. Perhaps even better in characteristics, the epoxy resin glue wire-wound power inductor (LVM Series) is also becoming the dominant choice for high-efficiency smartphones and hand-held devices.
As panel dimensions increase, so does the need for HD (high definition) features. In recent years, MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) interface has become widely adopted for use in panels and camera modules as demand for smartphone continues to rise. Through both the multi-layer and thin-film technology, Chilisin will be introducing a new type of common mode filter to support standard MIPI interfaces. The newly developed common mode filter (CMF0806 Series) is able to achieve much smaller dimensions compared to traditional wire-wound products.
Another defining feature of the new smartphone generation is the rise of 4G and LTE networks. Aside from high quality imaging, high network speed has become one of the most important features for smartphone users. Ultra-high-speed networks require highly accurate RF signal processing capabilities. In 2012, Chilisin successfully developed the high-precision thin-film chip inductor (TFL0603 Series) for use in high-performing smartphones. Produced through photolithography, a process used in the micro-fabrication of semiconductors, thin-film inductors are superior to multilayer inductors in size and accuracy. At one-fifth in circuit diameter of multilayer inductors, thin-film inductors can achieve characteristics with tighter tolerance levels to support next-generation high-speed networks.
On a global scale, the smartphone market is a spotlight topic for both consumers and producers. In light of the rising thinness, lightness, big-screen and high-efficiency trend, Chilisin has been quick to develop a set of miniaturized and high-performing products ideal for smartphones and hand-held devices. In an ever-changing landscape of electronic devices, the ability to realize and quickly adapt to rising trends becomes both a competitive advantage and a key to survival.
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