Cirtek revenues to get boost from new technology

Semiconductor firm Cirtek Philippines Holdings Corporation expects its revenues to get a significant boost from the introduction of new products using Gallium Nitride (GaN) wafer technology.

Cirtek Vice President for sales and marketing Antonio Callueng said they are now pioneering GaN technology in the Philippines for use in various applications such as telecom, wifi, data, network, satcom, broadband, and consumer RF applications.

GaN technology refers to the use of Gallium Nitride as a semiconductor material that offers high level of mechanical stability, hardness, heat capacity and thermal conductivity, and very low sensitivity to ionizing radiation, thereby permitting devices to operate at much higher voltages, frequencies and temperature.

"We are working with several customers in various stages of development; we expect initial product release late this year," Callueng said. Cirtek is introducing the new technology through subsidiary Cirtek Electronics Corporation (CEC).

"To be one of the pioneers to utilize GaN technology puts CEC in an advantageous position, allowing it to quickly acquire valuable market share," said CEC president Jorge Aguilar.

Meanwhile, Cirtek's RF/Microwave/Millimeterwave division recently launched its mobile point-of-sale (POS) terminal. The mobile POS has multifunction features, is compact and portable, making it an ideal solution for payment processing anywhere.

The mobile POS terminal has huge application potential in diverse businesses such as utility billing, financing, inventory management, distribution, ticketing, food stalls and kiosks.

The product has an LCD with resistive touch-screen and numeric keypad which provides a flexible platform for the design of an easy-to-use user interface.

The mobile POS' GPRS modem and Wifi interface allows for real-time data transfer, minimizing the risk of fraud and pilferage.

When wireless communication is not available, data can be stored to a micro-SD card and later uploaded to a PC via the USB synch feature.

Additional features such as contactless and magnetic card reader can be used for cashless payment wherein currently being widely deployed in different countries.

Currently, the POS product by Cirtek ATS is used in the local transportation sector for bus ticketing and continually being explored for introduction to different sectors.