When Apple Inc released its phone of the year 2013, iPhone 5, it could not meet the demand the iconic device had already generated. Many people blamed the delay in delivery on the Cupertino-based tech giant’s supply chain; however, the touch ID sensor introduced in the iPhone 5 was one of the major reasons behind the shortcoming.
Learning from its previous mistake, Apple has reportedly decided to send the touch ID sensors for its upcoming iPhone 6 into production from the second quarter of this year.
According to a report from DigiTimes, Apple’s major OEM supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is going to start production of the fingerprint sensor in the second quarter. That’s not all, in order to meet the demand, TSMC is moving its production process from 8-inch fab to much larger 12-inch fab. The move upgrading the manufacturing process is definitely going to help TSMC meet the larger volume demands.
The fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 6 is also going to be packaged by the TSMC. For iPhone 5’s ID sensor TSMC had outsourced the backend wafer level-chip scale packaging (WL-CSP), but in case of iPhone 6’s sensor TSMC is going to handle the process all by itself so it can have better control over the entire manufacturing process.
“However, in order to ensure the yield rates of the new fingerprint sensors, TSMC is also expected to handle the backend wafer level-chip scale packaging (WL-CSP) process in house, instead of subcontracting the packaging process to IC backend service firms as done previously, the sources revealed,” the DigiTimes reported.
Apart from the sensor, Apple is also reported to feature the same 8 megapixel camera in the iPhone 6. However, the camera might come with autofocus and optical image stabilization. Apple iPhones are already equipped with software-based OIS, but the feature is yet to be seen based on the hardware.
According to a new patent , the new lens will be able to move into three different directions to at least two digrees of freedom.
“A lens actuator module including an autofocus (AF) mechanism capable of moving a lens according to at least three degrees of freedom and an optical image stabilization (OIS) mechanism capable of moving the lens according to at least two degrees of freedom. The AF mechanism may have a coil and a magnet assembly for driving movement of the lens according to the at least three degrees of freedom. The optical image stabilization (OIS) mechanism may include a coil and a magnet assembly for driving movement of the lens according to the at least two degrees of freedom,” the patent reveals.
