Leuven, 10 December 1999.   IMEC has announced the creation of a new spinoff, FillFactory NV, which will develop and market new CMOS image sensors. These image sensors or digital cameras are based on a number of patented technologies, which in exchange for a shareholding, IMEC has brought to the new company.

The research that gave rise to these technologies began at IMEC as early as 1987.  Using these technologies, FillFactory will produce CMOS image sensors with a picture quality equal to that of the conventional CCD chips, but with all the advantages of CMOS technology, including lower power consumption, lower production costs and the possibility of integrating a number of electronic functions together with the sensor on one chip. 

Conventional CCDs are currently found in digital cameras, video cameras, professional television cameras, scanners, and in photocopiers and fax machines….  Currently, only one in five image sensors involves CMOS technology, and these are used primarily in industrial vision applications.  It is predicted however that CMOS image sensors will not only take over the CCD market share, but will also enable totally new applications, such as portable videophones and Internet cameras.

Market analysts Frost & Sullivan forecast that by the year 2003 four out of five image recorders will be made using CMOS technology. The CMOS image sensor market will grow in the same period by an average of 58 % in a market which, as a whole (including CCDs) will grow by 12% per year.  

FillFactory will operate on an international scale from the outset, having taken over a number of current IMEC projects with partners in Japan, Israel and the United States. The new company will also continue to develop CMOS image sensors for applications in space, mainly for ESA, the European space organisation.  FillFactory plans to address the market potential for CMOS image sensors by focusing on the development of customer-specific products for OEMs as well as the design, production and marketing of its own range of standard products.

FillFactory currently employs a staff of 11 people, many of whom are former IMEC employees, some with over ten years’ experience in this field. The company’s CEO is Luc De Mey, who comes from the High-Tech and IT sector commented:   ‘IMEC has provided us with some impressive, patented breakthrough technology as well as a substantial business portfolio. Along with a team of first-class engineers and scientists, I am convinced that we will soon become an international and leading-edge company in this high-tech sector.”

The seed capital amounts to approximately BEF 183 million.   In addition to IMEC and its founders, the shareholders  include a number of Belgian venture capital firms (IT-Partners, Partner@Venture, Capricorn Venture Partners)  and various international venture capital firms  including Prelude Trust Plc (UK), Sofipa (Italy) and Dow (Switzerland).

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Notes to editors

ABOUT IMEC

IMEC was founded in 1984 and today is Europe's leading independent research centre for the development and licensing of state-of-the-art microelectronic technologies.  IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and employs about 850 people, of whom 75 percent are highly qualified scientists and engineers.  Its $88 million revenue is derived from agreements and contracts with government agencies, aerospace and semiconductor industry companies worldwide.  IMEC's activities concentrate on: design of integrated information and communication systems; silicon process technology; silicon technology and device integration; microsystems, components and packaging; advanced training in microelectronics.

For further information:

Lou Hermans

FillFactory NV

Kapeldreef 60

B-3001 Leuven

Tel.: +32 16 28 14 63        

Fax: +32 16 28 15 01

E-mail: hermans@imec.be

Or

Marianne Van den Broeck

MarCom & PR Manager IMEC

Kapeldreef 75

B-3001 Leuven

Tel.: +32 16 28 14 91        

Fax: +32 16 28 16 37

E-mail: marianne.vandenbroeck@imec.be

http://www.imec.be