Oki 2005 Annual Report Download - page 15

Targeting the No.1 position in the driver and system
memory market, by stengthening technology advantages
Information Appliances
Wireless technology plays a vital role in the information society in
forms ranging from mobile phones and PHS telephones to more
recent innovations, such as wireless LANs and IC tags. In the area
of PHS base band LSIs, the Oki Group is Japan’s leading supplier
of products for data cards in terms of domestic market share. It
has also gained a one-half market share in China market, where
the PHS market is expanding rapidly. Furthermore, it continues to
lead the industry in introducing innovative products based on new
low rate wireless standards, such as ZigBee™ and UWB*2,
including the world’s first single-chip ZigBee product. The Oki
Group will continue to exploit the characteristics of its SOI*3 and
SOS*4 devices based on compact, high-speed, high-frequency and
ultra low power consumption technologies to develop low rate
wireless LSIs for advanced solutions to meet the needs of its
customers.
In the telecommunications sector, there has been a rapid
increase in the use of IP telephony in recent years. The Oki
Group supplies VoIP LSIs and other products based on its long
experience in telecommunications system technology. It has also
developed compact sound generator LSIs with excellent sound
quality for use in mobile phones. Oki is the leading supplier of
sound generator LSIs for GSM mobile phones, which are used in
Europe, China and South Korea.
The Oki Group will continue to target further increases in its
shares of growth markets, such as wireless systems and VoIP
telephony, by using its original technologies to develop unique
LSIs.
LCD drivers are key devices that determine the performance of
large TFT*5 panels used in LCD televisions and PC monitors,
items that are rapidly becoming popular. The Oki Group’s
superior design capabilities and production processes have
allowed it to become the top vendor, supplying drivers to the
number one global PC panel manufacturer.
In March 2005 the Oki Group acquired the large TFT LCD
driver business of Texas Instruments Japan Ltd. The resulting scale
merits are expected to bring significant improvements in both
product range and price competitiveness. Also, by combining its
own unique process technologies with Texas Instruments’ circuit
design technology, the Oki Group aims to develop highly
competitive products and propose de facto standards for next-
generation driver interfaces.
Another area in which the Oki Group excels is system
memory, which is used to store control programs and data in
digital devices. Its P2ROM has become particularly popular in the
industry because of its extremely short delivery lead times — as
short as one day from receipt of data to shipment of products —
compared with Mask ROMs. P2ROMs are used in electronic
dictionaries, amusement devices and printers, as well as a wide
variety of industrial equipment. Oki also plans to develop
applications, including products for the security industry, that take
advantage of the fact that P2ROMs can only be written once. It
also plans to introduce next-generation P2ROMs based on its
original technology, including multibit cell technology. Through
these activities, it targets to increase its share of the ROM market
to 50% or higher.
Supplying a wide range of advanced solutions,
including wireless, VoIP and sound generator LSIs
Telecom Market
ML7065 is a single-chip LSI with
support for the ZigBee standard,
which is ideal for applications that
include detection, monitoring and
control. This is the first device in
the world to combine a 2.4GHz RF,
physical layer and media access
control layer functions on a single
chip.
World’s First Single-Chip
ZigBee Compliant LSIs
Because of turn-around times as
short as one day from receipt of
the customers’ order to shipment,
the Oki Group’s P2ROMs are used
in a large number of personal and
mobile devices such as game
consoles, electronic dictionaries and
PDAs, for which development
speed is vital to competitiveness.
The Oki Group supplies a wide
range of products, including drivers
for large TFT LCDs, organic EL
displays and VFDs. Key areas of
expertise include drivers for large-
screen LCD TVs, which require
high voltages. It has acquired the
driver business of Texas
Instruments Japan Ltd. and aims to
gain the largest share of the market
of large TFT LCD drivers.
P2ROMs
Driver LSIs
The Oki Group provides sound
generator LSIs for GSM mobile
phones, which are widely used in
Europe, China and South Korea.
Characteristics such as excellent
sound quality have enabled Oki to
gain the top share of sound
generator LSIs for the GSM
handset market.
Sound Generator LSIs
ML7065 The ML9156, a driver for large-sized LCD
TVs displaying one billion colors
P2ROMs
A mobile phone incorporating an LSI sound
generator manufactured by Oki
*2 Ultra Wide Band
*3 Silicon-on-Insulator
*4 Silicon-on-Sapphire *5 Thin-Film Transistor
Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd. 15