Nov 18 2008
Siimpel Corporation, a leading supplier of optical micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) based solutions for the mobile market, announced today that it has completed an investment round in support of its groundbreaking MEMS technology and product development for mobile camera applications. DOCOMO Capital Inc., the corporate venture arm of NTT DOCOMO, Japan's leading wireless carrier, has joined Siimpel's existing strategic investors from the mobile market which includes the venture arms of Qualcomm, Motorola, and Micron Technology.
“The addition of DOCOMO Capital to our team further validates the strength and potential of our technology portfolio, particularly given current economic conditions,” said Chee Kwan, Siimpel's chief executive officer. “With this additional funding, we can continue to build on the successful commercial introduction of our first-generation MEMS camera designs, and intensify our product development efforts to accelerate the delivery of the highest performance, lowest power, and smallest size mobile camera designs. These designs will incorporate high-end DSC functionality in a mobile platform to include auto-focus, shutter, image stabilization, and zoom capabilities."
“We are excited about the potential for Siimpel's silicon MEMS technology in enabling low power, high performance, extremely compact camera modules for mobile handsets,” noted DOCOMO Capital Inc. President and CEO Tomoya Hemmi. “These features will bring greater flexibility in designing handsets, enabling new applications and uses of mobile phone cameras,” said Mr. Hemmi.
Siimpel's recent investment round was also supported by several existing investors from leading venture capital firms including Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Portage Venture Partners, Zone Ventures, Scales Venture Partners, and SunAmerica.
The MEMS Advantage
MEMS technology significantly improves the accuracy of alignment of various mechanical structures and optics in cameras. This is important because the performance of an optical system is largely dependent on the static and dynamic alignment tolerances of the optical elements. As the optical system is reduced in size, these tolerances must be proportionately reduced in order to maintain the same optical performance. Currently, manufacturing and alignment technology constraints prevent product developers from significantly reducing the size of cameras integrated into consumer products such as mobile phones while maintaining camera features and performance. Siimpel's proprietary MEMS-based device platform solves this issue, enabling manufacturers to develop mobile handsets and other consumer devices with higher-performance, integrated cameras.