Heptagon Announces 350um-thin Near Field Optical Sensor

BusinessWire: Heptagon developed the world’s smallest near-field optical sensing module with thickness of 350um and a 2mm2 surface area, which includes a built-in illuminator, light sensor, electronics, crosstalk prevention features, and a lens system. To put that into perspective, Heptagon’s new module is 4x thinner than a US 1 cent coin. Comparable products currently available are 40% thicker.

“We are excited to be taking our sensor technologies to an all new level,” says Hartmut Rudmann, SVP of Engineering at Heptagon, “By combining proprietary design and processes in solution development for these significantly thinner sensors, we’re enabling greater design flexibility with reduced form factor and improved aesthetics for mobile and wearable devices seeking slimmer profiles, such as smart watches. It is now possible to spread out more sensors in a device to increase coverage or for a more accurate reading.”

BusinessWire: In a separate PR, Heptagon announces it has shipped over 2 billion units to customers. The company, which is headquartered in Singapore, recently opened a new factory with expanded capacity to ship 1 billion units per year. Heptagon serves some of the largest makers of mobile and IoT products in the world.

"We are delighted to announce this latest milestone in our rapid growth and see this as ongoing acceptance by the market of our innovative, world-class products," says Christian Tang-Jespersen, CEO and President of Heptagon. "We look forward to continuing our strong growth and reaching our next billion units shipped milestone.”

"We are well positioned to pursue new market opportunities with the expansion of our fab in Woodlands, Singapore and the opening of our new factory in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore," says S.C. Leong, Heptagon’s COO. “We remain committed to uncompromising quality and our proven ability to move quickly from white board to shipping 100s of millions of units."

In addition to opening the new factory in Singapore, Heptagon has expanded its sales, marketing and engineering presence in Silicon Valley. Heptagon’s newly created Silicon Valley Labs and Executive Briefing Center showcase the latest interface and sensing technologies while providing convenient access for the innovators and decision makers in Silicon Valley.