SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - January 17, 2011) - Shocking Technologies, Inc., the developer of a breakthrough polymer nano-composite for protecting electronic products from electrostatic discharge (ESD), announced that Unimicron Technology Corp has been certified to manufacture printed circuit boards (PCBs) with its innovative Voltage Switchable Dielectric™ (VSD) material. The agreement follows joint development activity between Unimicron Technology and Shocking Technologies to incorporate Shocking Tech's patented XStatic™ 100 VSD material into PCB. The certification allows Unimicron, the first certified supplier in Asia, to manufacture PCBs that meet industry-standard electrical, mechanical and reliability specifications in addition to enabling superior ESD resistance and lower system cost.
"We see a lot of interest from our customers in the Shocking Tech solution. The ESD protection approach used by Shocking Technologies' XStatic solution has significant potential to reduce cost, time and effort for our customers. We are impressed with the initial XStatic results," said Maurice Lee, General Manager, R&D and Technology at Unimicron.
The XStatic product is embedded in PCBs to protect the system from harmful ESD events. Traditional approaches using discrete surge suppressors typically protect an average of 3% of the system-level circuitry and consume large amounts of PCB real estate. In comparison, Shocking Tech's XStatic solution can provide up to 100% protection, while reducing component count (thus freeing up space for other functionality), simplifying design, and slashing development time thanks to the highly predictable nature of the solution.
"This certification is a major milestone for Shocking Tech and we would like to thank the team at Unimicron for their support. Having Unimicron certified allows our customers an easy and highly reliable avenue for XStatic adoption. Unimicron has an excellent track record of supporting brand name customers in consumer electronics around the world with high quality and very efficient PCB manufacturing services. We are confident that XStatic certification will allow Unimicron to offer new levels of value across a variety of markets," said Lex Kosowsky, President and CEO of Shocking Technologies.
Shocking Tech's VSD material has been successfully tested in multiple products. The company recently expanded its manufacturing facility.
About XStatic
XStatic is a polymer nano-composite that functions as an insulator (dielectric) during normal circuit operation and becomes conductive when the voltage increases beyond a predefined threshold. The material reverts back to an insulator after the voltage drops back below the threshold to normal operating levels. The net result is that when XStatic is properly incorporated on the ground plane in a PCB or package substrate, all circuits in contact with the ground plane are protected from ESD voltage spikes that would otherwise damage the chip.
About Shocking Technologies
Founded in 2006, Shocking Technologies offers an innovative approach to protecting electronic products in the handheld, cell phone, LCD display, memory and other markets from the harmful effects of electrostatic discharge (ESD). Its patented Voltage Switchable Dielectric™ (VSD) polymer nano-composite material, XStatic™, is easily applied to PCB and package substrates and provides the industry's only embedded solution capable of up to 100% protection against ESD. Its ease of implementation and comprehensive coverage also lowers development time and costs and reduces product design size by eliminating less effective components traditionally used to protect devices against ESD effects. The company has over 100 licensed, issued and pending patents. Shocking Technologies is a privately held company with investments from ARCH Venture Partners, ATA Ventures, Skylake Incuvest, Vista Ventures, Balch Hill Capital, and a limited number of private investors. For more information, go to www.shockingtechnologies.com.
Voltage Switchable Dielectric and XStatic are trademarks of Shocking Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks referred to are property of their respective owners.
About Unimicron Technology
Please visit http://www.unimicron.com for information on Unimicron Technology Corporation.
Contact Information:
For more information, contact:
Preeti Pande, PhD
408-578-5175 ext. 118