Light Sensor Chip from Capella Microsystems Extends Battery Life in Portable Products

-- Chip Increases Battery Life of Touch-Screen Products Such as
iPhone(R)

-- Boosts Battery Life of Notebook Computers, Cell Phones and
Portable Devices
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Capella Microsystems, Inc. today announced the industry's first
proximity and ambient light sensor chip. The CM3612 extends battery
life in touch-screen products such as iPhones(R), and other portable
products such as cell phones, notebook computers and digital cameras.

The new chip contains an infrared light proximity sensor and
related circuitry that detects when screens on portable products are
not being viewed and thereby enables these products to automatically
turn off their screens and extend their battery life. The proximity
sensor can also be used to deactivate a touch-screen phone so that it
does not dial numbers when in contact with a user's head.

The new chip can be used in digital cameras where the proximity
function can sense when a user's eye is near the view finder and turn
off the external viewing screen. The proximity function can also
control backlit keyboards for use in dark areas such as airplane
cabins.

The chip also contains an ambient light sensor that extends
battery life by allowing the automatic adjustment of screen brightness
to match external light conditions. The ambient light sensor uses the
company's patent-pending Filtron(TM) technology to mimic the
brightness sensor of the human eye by only detecting wavelengths in
the range of 450 to 650 nm.

According to Cheng-chung Shih, President and CEO of Capella
Microsystems, Inc, "In the past, proximity and ambient light sensors
had never been combined in a single chip because of the cost and space
required for plastic filters. Our patent-pending Filtron(TM)
technology allows us to overcome this obstacle by building the optical
filters into the chip as part of the integrated circuit fabrication
process."

In addition to its infrared proximity sensor and ambient light
sensor, the chip contains a digital low-pass filter that removes
florescent light flicker, a 12 bit A/D converter, DSP, temperature
compensation circuit, I2C interface, oscillator and a driver for an
infrared emitter.

Capella Microsystems, Inc. is located at 2361 Calle Del Mundo,
Santa Clara, CA 95054. Telephone: (408) 727-8500 X618, Fax: (408)
969-0894 Website: www.capellamicro.com

Capella Microsystems, Inc. is a privately held fabless
semiconductor design company that develops optical electronic
products. The company was founded in 1996 and its elite technical team
consists of highly experienced experts in the design of analog,
CMOS/Bipolar and analog optics circuits. The company has offices in
both the United States and Taiwan.

iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.

Filtron is a trademark of Capella Microsystems, Inc.

Capella Microsystems, Inc.
Cheng-chung Shih, 510-449-4690
President and CEO

Copyright Business Wire 2008