SAN JOSE, Calif., September 26, 2012, – Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY) today announced that Himax Imaging, Inc. (“Himax Imaging”), a leading CMOS image sensor manufacturer, has selected Cypress’s EZ-USB® FX3™ peripheral controller for its USB 3.0 5M Sensor Evaluation Board. This evaluation board can be used with a variety of imaging sensors, including the popular HM5065(5M), HM3451(3.4M), HM2056/2057(2M), HM1375 (1.3M) and HM1055(HD) models, which are widely used in application such as PC cameras, document scanners and industrial cameras.
FX3 is the industry’s first and only programmable USB 3.0 peripheral controller. It is equipped with a flexible General Programmable Interface (GPIF™ II) that can be connected with virtually any system in 8-, 16- and 32-bit configurations, and is capable of data rates up to 400 Megabytes per second. GPIF II enables the FX3 controller to interface directly to a variety of application processors, ASICs or FPGAs. This flexibility is critical in enabling Himax Imaging’s sensor evaluation board to interface with a wide range of image sensors.
“The launch of Himax Imaging’s industry-leading full HD sensor evaluation board ignites the engine of HD camera applications in the USB 3.0 era,” said Mark Fu, Senior Marketing Director in the Data Communication Division at Cypress. “Just like its predecessor, FX2, Cypress’s FX3 is becoming the de facto standard in the USB SuperSpeed solution market by providing best-in-class performance and flexibility.”
“Sensor performance is the focus of camera design, and our evaluation board becomes the springboard to success for our customers,” said Antonio Tsai, Deputy Director of the Marketing Division at Himax Imaging. “We were able to overcome design challenges very quickly with the help of Cypress’s FX3 total solution. Its high flexibility, stability and ease of use are key contributors to the successful and timely launch of our HD sensor evaluation board.”
About EZ-USB FX3
EZ-USB FX3 provides SuperSpeed USB 3.0 connectivity in virtually any system. The on-chip ARM9 CPU core with 512KB RAM delivers 200 MIPS of computational power and is available for applications that require local data processing. Additionally, FX3 provides interfaces to connect to serial peripherals such as SPI, UART, I2C and I2S. In short, FX3 provides highly flexible and integrated features that enable developers to add USB 3.0 connectivity to any system.
EZ-USB FX3 is in volume production now, available in a small 121-ball BGA with dimensions of 10 mm x 10 mm x 1.2 mm with a 0.8-mm pitch. More information on Cypress’s EZ-USB FX3 controller is available at www.cypress.com/go/usb.
About Himax Imaging
Himax Imaging, Inc. is a subsidiary of Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HIMX). Himax Imaging is a fabless semiconductor company that develops CMOS Image Sensors (CIS), System-on-Chip (SOC) and wafer level camera solutions for next generation camera, video communication and sensing applications. As a relative newcomer in the CIS industry, Himax Imaging has quickly developed a broad portfolio of products and technologies that have been adopted by leading mobile computing and communication device manufacturers.
Our approach towards sensor is to enable our customers to quickly bring quality camera products to market with imaging solutions designed for performance, value and simplicity. As we look forward, this is an exciting time for imaging industry as technology and manufacturing barriers are constantly pushed to deliver new levels of performance and features. Look for Himax Imaging to continue bringing new and exciting products to market.
About Cypress
Cypress delivers high-performance, mixed-signal, programmable solutions that provide customers with rapid time-to-market and exceptional system value. Cypress offerings include the flagship PSoC® 1, PSoC 3, and PSoC 5 programmable system-on-chip families and derivatives, CapSense® touch sensing and TrueTouch® solutions for touchscreens. Cypress is the world leader in USB controllers, including the high-performance West Bridge® solution that enhances connectivity and performance in multimedia handsets, PCs and tablets. Cypress is also the world leader in SRAM memories. Cypress serves numerous markets including consumer, mobile handsets, computation, data communications, automotive, industrial and military. Cypress trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol CY. Visit Cypress online at www.cypress.com.
