The News

Varioptic announces general availability of the Artic 320 liquid lens for camera-phones

24/01/2006

San Jose, California, Photonics West - January 24, 2006:  Varioptic, the liquid lens company, today announced the general availability of the Artic 320 liquid lens, which is the industry’s first and only multi mega-pixel, auto-focus, liquid lens for camera phones.  Varioptic will showcase the Artic 320 Camera phone liquid lens this week in booth #1940 at Photonics West, in San Jose California. 

Varioptic’s Artic 320 liquid lens changes shape automatically without mechanical aid.  Acting much like the human eye, it uses electricity to change the focus of the lens by altering the border between two drops of liquid.  Varioptic’s patented “electrowetting” technology provides several advantages over traditional lenses, in terms of size, cost, speed, durability and quality.  

Since introducing its first patented liquid lenses last year, Varioptic has been working closely with Samsung Electro-Mechanics to provide auto focus lenses for camera phones.  Over this time, Varioptic has made continuous improvements to its liquid lenses, expanding the storage temperature range to minus 40°/plus 85°C, while expanding the operating temperature range to minus 20°/plus 60°C.  Additional enhancements in durability, low power consumption and miniaturization enable the Artic 320 lens to fit within existing “x-y” camera module footprints, making it ideal for the mobile phone market.

The enhancements announced today also apply to other Varioptic liquid lenses that are designed for less demanding environments, such as:
  Communications: web cams, video conferencing, and integrated PC/laptop cameras
  Healthcare: medical and dental imaging
  Industry: barcode imagers and industrial endoscopes
  Security: indoor video surveillance and biometry
  Entertainment: digital still cameras, camcorders and gaming applications.

Specifications for Varioptic’s liquid lenses are available at www.varioptic.com.

“The delivery of the Artic 320 liquid lens is a watershed event that will usher in the mass production of camera-phones using liquid lenses,” said John Barber, vice president of business development for Varioptic.  “Because of the unique advantages – in terms of size, cost, quality, and durability - we expect that liquid lenses will rapidly become the dominant system for auto-focus or zooming capabilities in the camera-phone market.”  

Upcoming Events:
At Photonics West, Varioptic will demonstrate the first fully-functional liquid lens camera module (manufactured by Transchip and Sunex) in Pavilion France - Main Hall, stand 1940, at the San Jose Convention Center. 

Varioptic will also demonstrate this breakthrough technology at the 3GSM Congress, in Barcelona (E), February 13-16, in Hall 2 - Level +1 - stand J41. 

About Varioptic:
Founded in 2002, Varioptic pioneered the development of Electrowetting Technology to create revolutionary auto focus and zoom lenses with absolutely no moving parts.  These products feature several crucial advantages over traditional technologies in terms of cost, dimensions, power consumption and speed.  Located in Lyon France, and headed by CEO Etienne Paillard, and founder/inventor and Chief Scientist Bruno Berge, Varioptic is the world leader in liquid lens technology.