Polaris Works Selected for National Project to Develop 'Ultra-Small Infrared Temperature Sensor Package'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Polaris Works (formerly IA Networks), a specialist company in image sensor CSP packaging, announced on the 28th that its project titled ‘Development of Temperature Sensor Package for Mobile & Wearable Devices’ has been selected for the Regional Specialized Industry Promotion Commercialization Support Project announced by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Through this project, Polaris Works will develop the country’s first ultra-thin temperature sensor package (2.0mm x 2.0mm) that can be mounted on mobile and wearable devices. It is an integrated package structure that implements a thermopile chip and a controller chip (ROIC Chip) in a single package. This reflects market demands to enable more precise and convenient non-contact body temperature measurement, which has seen a surge in demand amid the current COVID-19 situation.

In particular, to improve sensitivity compared to existing temperature sensor packages and minimize temperature deviation, Polaris Works plans to develop a package structure that provides the country’s first vacuum hermetic seal function in the thermocouple area that detects temperature.

Currently, Polaris Works is jointly developing ultra-small infrared temperature sensors with TEMPUS, a company specializing in temperature sensor chip design and production. They plan to develop and mass-produce ultra-thin temperature sensor packages by 2022 to apply non-contact temperature measurement technology to various applications including small mobile and wearable devices. The two companies signed a strategic business agreement in September 2020 to cooperate on technology development.

A Polaris Works representative stated, “Compared to transistor outline stem (TO stem) technology and surface mount device (SMD) type micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) packages used by existing domestic and international temperature sensor package companies, we will provide ultra-thin size and high-performance functions that are incomparable. By developing and supplying packages that can be mounted on mobile phones, tablet PCs, and various wearable devices, more convenient temperature measurement and easy data management will be possible amid the ongoing COVID-19 situation.”

He added, “Through this technology development, we plan to expand the market from photo sensor packages to temperature sensor packages and expect to achieve a dominant market lead.”

Meanwhile, according to global tech research firm Gartner, the rapidly growing global wearable device market is expected to record a total shipment volume of 931.5 million units by 2024, forming a market size of $109.174 billion (approximately 123.6 trillion KRW).